This video created a sensation on social media.
On Sunday, Spanish National Police intercepted a boat carrying migrants attempting to illegally reach Spanish territory in North Africa, resulting in the vessel carrying the migrants effectively being separated in a collision, reports British Telegraph reported on Wednesday.
And although, surprisingly, there were no serious injuries, the footage caused a storm in cyberspace.
Watch: Migrant boat crushed by Spanish police boat
The footage shows the Civil Guard pursuing the boat and trying to block its path, but then the boat cuts it in half.
Read more https://t.co/5Pi2OAXQEv pic.twitter.com/DbFgnp4Wp1
— Telegraph (@Telegraph) August 28, 2024
According to The Telegraph, the Spanish vessel was part of the country Civil Guardpatrolling the coast of Melilla, a small Spanish enclave on the border with Morocco in North Africa.
He was pursuing a boat with four passengers on board and was trying to stop it from reaching land when the collision occurred.
According to The Telegraph, those on board the migrant boat were immediately rescued. Only one required short-term hospitalisation.
A spokesman for Spain's left-wing coalition government called the incident “an unbearable human catastrophe.”
Reactions to the video ranged from congratulations to the authorities for what was undoubtedly a tough measure to criticism of the extreme nature of the move.
“This is how you stop illegal immigrants from illegally entering your country,” said a social media post published by Turning Point UK. British branch conservative American group The US Turning Point.
Spanish boat police have caught a boat carrying migrants.
This is how you stop illegal immigrants from entering your country illegally. pic.twitter.com/cICaO6WWRf
— Turning Point UK (@TPointUK) August 28, 2024
“Everyone is fed up,” he wrote. Tommy RobinsonBritish conservative political activist.
A Spanish police boat chases and drives over a boat carrying migrants, sending passengers flying.
Everyone is already fed up. pic.twitter.com/CSPsZbby7b
— Tommy Robinson (@TRobinsonNewEra) August 29, 2024
Apparently, the boat with migrants arrived from Morocco.
According to the left-wing British publication GuardianMoroccan Human Rights Association 'cruel and dangerous'
And Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, called the police actions “dangerously aggressive” in a social media post.
The video “appears to show a Spanish police boat briefly boarding a small boat carrying people to the Spanish coast” – a dangerous and aggressive move aimed at stopping migrants. https://t.co/UXGtxhlJN0
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) August 27, 2024
Moroccan authorities said they were investigating the incident, The Telegraph reported.
According to the publication, Spain has apparently decided that this is not necessary.
“Spain’s two enclaves on Morocco’s Mediterranean coast, Ceuta and Melilla, share the European Union’s only land borders with Africa,” The Telegraph noted. “The enclaves have sporadically faced waves of crossing attempts by migrants trying to reach Europe.”
This article originally appeared on Western Journal.