On Thursday February, 23rd, it was organised a discussion about immigration detention Centers (IDC) at Zona Franca. The discussion took place in Francesc Candel Library, La Marina-Zona Franca district in Barcelona.

Barcelona, Spain. A local assembly at La Marina, constituted as a result of the citizen movement 15-M, has integrated itself within the Campaign for the Closure of IDCs. This movement was generated ever since the death of young Idrissa Diallo at the Immigrant Detention Center at Zona Franca. This death, as well as life conditions of the people detained there, are under a great informational opacity.

The IDCs are virtually prisons which deprive people who have not committed any crime of liberty, just because they are foreigners. The Immigration Law allows the Police to identify and arrest immigrant people, detain them in IDCs and finally deport them. Ever since the IDC at Zona Franca was opened in 2006, several irregularities have taken place. As a consequence, people's rights have been violated systematically there, in the same way it was done previously at the Police Station of La Verneda.

Like the overall citizenship, there are lots of neighbours who ignore the existence of an IDC near “Zona Franca”, where people's rights are violated day by day, and where NGO's and support associations, the media and even political representatives find obstacles to do their job.

During the discussion, the “SOS Racismo”, “Papeles y Derechos para Todos” and the IDC research group at Zona Franca exposed what an IDC is, how it works and why should it be closed urgently. During their interventions, the irrationality and injustice represented by this kind of centers became so evident that further discussions were lively and they run out of time. A lot of information was given in it, as well as some clichés and misunderstandings were undone, and several reasons were given to support the Campaign for the closure of IDC.

This campaign prepares a denouncing act on March 24th at 5 p.m. at Plaza Universitat, Barcelona. The team ‘Futura’ of ‘Convergence of Cultures’, member of the Assembly of La Marina, welcomes neighbours to join in and help to show the fact that we won't admit the existence of a local Guantánamo and that we refuse closing our eyes to such violence taking place near us.

More information: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

More photos of the event

Assembly of La Marina Blog

Translated to English by Jennifer Solé Ruiz