https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/protests-in-spain-and-morocco-over-migrant-deaths

Protests in Spain and Morocco over migrant deaths

Protests were organized in many Spanish towns and in Rabat late Friday in response to the deaths of 23 African migrants attempting to enter the Spanish enclave of Melilla in northern Morocco.

The United Nations condemned "excessive force" by police on the Moroccan-Spanish border and urged an inquiry into the deaths of the migrants who crossed the border.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Barcelona, Malaga, Vigo, and San Sebastian, as well as Melilla, to condemn migration policy and "border militarization".

A few dozen Moroccans from the Collective of Sub-Saharan Communities in Morocco and aid organizations demonstrated in front of parliament in Rabat, calling on Rabat to "stop playing the role of EU policeman."

Mamadou Diallo, an activist, told AFP, "We demand an end to the migration policy funded by the European Union, the opening of an independent investigation and the return of the bodies to the families."

"The Europeans colonised us and took everything from us to develop. Today, if we go to them, it means that we have the right to leave," he added.

Moroccan prosecutors have filed charges against 65 migrants, predominantly Sudanese, suspected of taking part in a large effort to enter Melilla from Morocco a week ago.

Renzo Rupay, expressed shock at the images he saw of the border, saying, "I too am a migrant, arrived with a child's travel papers. Not everyone has the possibility of arriving legally in Spain."

Eva Ruiz, a 24-year-old said, "It's not normal that so many people die. We're talking about human lives, people fleeing war and we kill them at the border."

The deceased perished "in jostling and falling" from the top of the metal gate that separates Morocco from Melilla following an effort to breach the border "marked by the use of very violent methods on the part of migrants," Rabat claimed.

From the Moroccan city of Nador toward Melilla, 133 migrants tried to cross the border in the first such mass crossing since the diplomatic relationships between the two countries since they mended diplomatic relations last month.

According to Human Rights Watch, photographs rapidly emerged showing that what the Moroccan authorities dubbed as a "stampede" actually showed "bodies strewn on the ground in pools of blood, Moroccan security forces kicking and beating people, and Spanish Guardia Civil launching teargas at men clinging to fences."

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/foreign-fighters-in-ukraine-a-time-bomb-back-home

Foreign fighters in Ukraine; a time bomb back home?

"The death of a French volunteer in Ukraine is the first clear evidence that there are at least some far-right extremists among the foreign fighters who have been deployed to fight Russian forces," The Intercept website reported. Wilfried Bleriot, 32, was killed in combat on June 4, 2022, according to a Facebook post by Ukraine's so-called "International Legion".

Bleriot wears the black-and-white patch of the so-called Misanthropic Division - said to be an overtly fascist volunteer wing of Ukraine's ultranationalist Azov Battalion - on the front and center of his body armor in a photo posted by the International Legion, which was formed after the Russian military operation began and is open to volunteer fighters from all over the world.

The Misanthropic Division's violent, hate-filled Telegram group was the first to report Bleriot's death one day earlier, on June 3. The statement said Bleriot died on June 1 in Kharkov and attached a photo of him wearing a T-shirt with the words "Misanthropic Division" across the front.

What is the Misanthropic Division?

The Misanthropic Division was defined as "one of the numerous neo-Nazi groups that have mushroomed around Ukraine in recent years" by the Los Angeles Times in 2018. The Daily Beast described it in 2020 as "the aggressive overseas volunteer arm of Ukraine's neo-Nazi Azov Battalion."

A spokesperson for the Azov Battalion, which began in 2014 as a far-right street gang and has since evolved into a professional special operations regiment of the Ukrainian army, did not immediately answer a question about Bleriot and the Misanthropic Division.

However, Andriy Biletsky, the founder of the Azov movement, commenting on the presence of foreign fighters among their ranks, said, “We have volunteers from different countries."

“We’ve had Europeans, Japanese, people from the Middle East.”

Where is the Azov base?

The Azov base is located in an abandoned Soviet factory property on the semi-industrial outskirts of Kiev. Inside the main building, a yellow flag with Azov's infamous Wolfsangel insignia in the center-hung from the rafters inside the main structure.

Black Sun clocks can be seen hanging on the walls in two spots, such sun wheels or Sonnenrads, which were also found on the floor of Heinrich Himmler's castle in Germany. The Black Sun symbol is extensively utilized by contemporary Nazi supporters to express their Aryan supremacist ideas.

On the battlefield, there is plenty of photographic evidence of Azov fighters wearing Nazi emblems. Azov has attempted to clean up its image and depict itself as depoliticized in recent years, but its actions speak louder than anything else.

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The International Legion revealed the death of Bjorn Benjamin Clavis, a German of unknown age, in the Facebook post that announced Bleriot's death. The snapshot shows a man in his 30s with buzzed hair dressed in the uniform of Ukraine's Territorial Defense Force.

The Anti-Defamation League characterizes an Iron Cross tattoo on the back of his right hand as a "commonly-used hate symbol" beloved by "neo-Nazis and other white supremacists."

In March, a Ukrainian top official revealed that around 20,000 international volunteers traveled to fight Russia in Ukraine, mostly coming from European countries. This comes alongside the 16,000 foreign mercenaries whom Zelensky announced will be fighting in Ukraine.

Since the start of the military operation, Zelensky invited foreigners - including Israelis - to fight alongside the Ukrainian army against Russia.

Earlier in April, a footage also surfaced showing several Israelis fighting alongside Ukrainian forces and thanking “Israel” for its assistance. The videos, which went viral, showed the men dressed in Ukrainian military uniforms in an unspecified forested area.

Former US Army Staff Sgt. Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh, who were both living in Alabama, were reported missing this month near the northeastern city of Kharkov, not far from the Russian border, and had traveled to Ukraine to fight alongside Ukrainian forces and teach them how to use US-made weapons, according to family members.

US President Joe Biden said Friday that he had been briefed on two Americans who had gone missing in Ukraine and urged Americans not to travel to the war-torn country.

A third former Marine Corps officer Grady Kurpasi lost contact with his family in April and was only recently identified. Willy Joseph Cancel, a fourth American veteran, was killed in Ukraine in May.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had been asked about the mercenaries captured as prisoners in light of the war, and he said they would not be protected by the Geneva Convention's clauses on prisoners of war.

"They are not (in the) Ukrainian army, so they are not subject to the Geneva Conventions," he explained.

part 2 - End

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/syrian-president-hosts-iran-fm-in-damascus

Syrian President hosts Iran FM in Damascus

Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, arrived in the Syrian capital of Damascus at the head of a delegation on Saturday.

The top diplomat met with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and was received by his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad upon his arrival at the airport.

Upon arriving in the Syrian capital, Amir-Abdollahian told reporters that the recent visit to Tehran by the Syrian President was a new milestone in relations between the two countries.

As for his visit to Syria, the FM said that its importance lies in the fact that Iran and Syria are currently in a new phase of comprehensive cooperation, especially in the economic and trade fields.

Amir-Abdollahian took the opportunity to condemn attempts by "Israel" to aggress against Syria and violate its territorial integrity, adding that the Israeli occupation is attempting to destabilize Syria, increasing problems for Syrian refugees returning to their homes.

Furthermore, as he just came from Turkey, he highlighted Iran's understanding of Ankara's security issues and said Tehran strongly opposes "military attempts" in Syria made under any justification, adding that Iran is working to resolve existing misunderstandings between the two neighboring countries through diplomacy and dialogue.

Iran had previously voiced its refusal of Turkey's military incursion into Syria and said it considered such military action to be "a violation of the territorial integrity and national sovereignty" of Syria.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/two-new-british-mercenaries-charged-in-dpr

Two new British mercenaries charged in DPR

Dylan Healy, 22, and Andrew Hill, 35, both UK nationals, were captured by DPR forces during fighting in April.

British broadcaster Sky News described Hill as a "military volunteer". Hill was charged today by DPR forces alongside Healy for acting as mercenaries for Ukraine's armed forces.

Russia's TASS news agency reported that both men have refused to cooperate and are currently imprisoned in the DPR.

"Criminal cases have been initiated and charges were presented for (mercenarism) against British citizens Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill, currently in detention in DPR. Investigation operations are under way as the investigators look for evidence of the crimes, committed by the British, because they do not want to testify and refuse to cooperate on their criminal cases," a DPR source informed TASS.

Britain's Foreign Office released a statement on Saturday condemning "the exploitation of prisoners of war and civilians for political purposes."

"We are in constant contact with the government of Ukraine on their cases and are fully supportive of Ukraine in its efforts to get them released," the statement added.

Earlier in June, the DPR sentenced to death three mercenaries (two British and one Moroccan) after they were caught fighting alongside Ukrainian militias.

British mercenaries Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, in addition to Moroccan Saadun Brahim, were convicted by a Donetsk court on charges of terrorism.

According to The Guardian, an official said that the men would have one month to appeal their sentence, and if the appeal is accepted, the defendants would receive a 25-year or life sentence instead of the death penalty.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hezbollah-announces-sending-3-drones-to-contested-karish-gas

Hezbollah announces sending 3 drones to contested Karish gas field

Lebanese Resistance movement Hezbollah released a statement on the three UAVs sent on a recon mission over the Karish gas field, before being shot down by Israeli occupation forces.

The statement reads:

"On the afternoon of Saturday 2/7/2022, the martyrs Jamil Skaf and Mahdi Yaghi groups launched three unarmed UAVs of various sizes toward the disputed region of the Karish gas field on a reconnaissance mission. The mission was completed and the message was delivered. 'And victory is only from God. Indeed, God is Exalted in Might.'

Islamic Resistance, Saturday 2/7/2022"

Israeli occupation forces said that they shot down the three UAVs off the Mediterranean coast. One of the UAVs was downed by an F16 fighter jet, and the other two by Barak missiles launched from the Saar 5 Class Corvette, according to a statement by the IOF.

Israeli officials claimed the UAVs were intercepted "at a safe distance" from the drilling platform that is active in the disputed region.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had recently threatened the Israeli occupation over its attempts to forcibly extract gas from the contested region, saying the resistance is prepared to prevent them from infringing on Lebanese sovereignty.

>> This was a warning.