February 6^th, 2014, over 200 people tried to enter Ceuta from the Moroccan territory. While they were approaching the Tarajal beach, many people trying to arrive swimming, the Guardia Civil used riot control, - smoke canisters and rubber bullets -, in order to prevent people from entering the spanish territory.

Fifteen immigrants died on the Spanish side, dozens more disappeared, others died in the Moroccan territory.

On February 6^th, 2020, six years after this tragedy, we shall meet in Oujda (Morocco) with the families of immigrants and disappeared people from Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Cameroun, Senegal, Syria and Mexico together with activists from several countries who fight every day to condemn the murderous violence that the States exercise at the borders. The event aims to commemorate migrants who died, who disappeared or who have been victims of enforced disappearance in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Sahara, in the Evros region, in Calais and in many other places.

We wish to affirm that we shall never forget those who lost their lives or disappeared and that we shall transform our pain into actions of struggle that allow us to build a world in which freedom of movement is a right for all human beings.

If you want to join this action day and organize an initiative in your city, write us to info@missingattheborders.org and we shall publish the event.

Here you will find the program of the event: Programe Fr En Esp

Here below the text calling for the commemoration.

WE WILL FIGHT TOGETHER AGAINST THE BORDERS THAT KILLED AND DISAPPEARED THEM!

For a long time now, we are confronted again and again with deaths and disappearances of human beings at Europe’s external borders – in the Mediterranean Sea, the Sahara, or in European detention and hotspot camps that are made to deter people from moving on. We cannot forget those who have been killed, disappeared or been victims of forced disappearance. Putting an end to this continuous massacre caused by Europe’s border regime is one of our motivations to be active together in a long-term struggle for the freedom of movement and global justice.

On the 6^th of February 2020, we come together to turn our grief into collective action. We come from various contexts and have various backgrounds. We are relatives of the missing from Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Cameroon, Senegal, Syria, Mexico, Peru and elsewhere. We are those who find human remains in the desert and the sea, who try to identify the deceased in the different border zones, who give nameless bodies a dignified burial. We are those who hold each other’s hands when we miss a daughter, son, sister, brother, friend.

We come together to denounce the deadly violence of global border regimes. We come together to commemorate those who died, disappeared or were victims of forced disappearance in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Sahara, the Evros region, in Calais, and elsewhere. We accuse the perpetrators of murder: Governments who decide to further restrict routes and deter migrants through all available means.

For us, commemorating those who are deceased, missing, or victims of forced disappearance is a part of our daily struggles.

On the 6th of February 2020 it will be 6 years ago: in 2014, the Spanish border police (Guardia Civil) massacred at least 15 people trying to cross the border into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Until now, their deaths have not been recognised as murders, the border agents involved go unpunished. This massacre is only one of too many examples of death and disappearance at European borders. Many thousands more have lost their lives in the desert, at sea, have gone missing, or are victims of forced disappearance.

As a transnational alliance and through solidarity actions in many cities, we commemorate these missing lives and struggle for a just world where freedom of movement finally and truly will be a basic human right.

Many of us have come together in Oujda, Morocco, to remember and to exchange. We want to visibilise the daily struggles and the suffering of people crossing borders. We want to create spaces for the continuous trauma endured by the relatives and loved ones of those who lost their lives, disappeared, or were victims of forced disappearance. With the externalisation of the European border, Morocco is turning increasingly into Europe’s borderguard. This is why we need a strong mobilisation of migrant activists on the ground.

We have come together before, and we will meet again in the future. The next time, we will gather in a different place and on a different date as the ongoing crimes against humanity mark so many days of the year with grief and anger that it is impossible to choose just one.

We will meet and protest at Europe’s externalised borders but also in many cities in Europe (Ceuta, Barcelona, Berlin, Marseille, Milan and others). We have to bring the violence to its source, the heart of Europe.

With our term “CommemorAction” we offer a promise: We will not forget those who have lost their lives or went missing and we will fight against murderous border regimes. We will provide a space for remembrance and we will collectively build something from our grief. We will not be alone and we will not give up. We will continue to fight for freedom of movement and human dignity for all in our daily lives.

We therefore invite everyone to organize initiatives in their cities to make February 6, 2020 a global day in which to commemorate those who died, disappeared or were victims of enforced disappearance along the world's borders. On the missingattheborders.org web page we will publish all the events that will take place.

We invite you to send information about your activities to the email: info@missingattheborders.org