Spanish police arrest farmers for burning Moroccan exporters’ warehouses

In the latest developments in the file of attacks on Moroccan exports of vegetables and fruits in Europe, especially in Spain, the police of the Iberian Kingdom during the past few days arrested farmers suspected of trying to “carry out a burning operation against warehouses belonging to Moroccan exporters.”

According to what was reported by Spanish media, “The police in the province of Almeria arrested 9 Spanish farmers suspected of being behind attacks on Moroccan companies operating in the field of exporting agricultural products to Spain, coinciding with the protests led by Spanish professional organizations under the pretext that Moroccan products do not… Achieve fair competition.”

According to the same media, those arrested are suspected of trying to burn down a Moroccan warehouse using gasoline and rubber tires, which would have claimed the lives of about 25 workers who were inside the same warehouse in the “Ejido” area at the time of the operation, and who fled after the attempt.

According to the ABC newspaper, which discussed the issue, “This incident dates back to the month of February, coinciding with the rural protests that targeted agricultural products coming from Morocco, as security investigations revealed the relationship of these individuals to these protests.”

The complex investigations of the security personnel also revealed, according to the same newspaper, “these individuals turned to extremism coinciding with their participation in various protest forums regarding the situation in the agricultural sector, as they were later arrested on charges of the crime of arson, to be placed at the disposal of the Dean of the Investigation Courts in the Ejido region.” .

Commenting on the issue, Rachid Benali, President of the Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development (Comadir), said, “Moroccan professionals appreciate the intervention of Spanish security to protect them and their products from attacks targeting them, as happened recently.”

Benali added, in a statement to Hespress, that “Spanish security had previously reacted to recent incidents after attempts by Spanish elements to attack Moroccan trucks and shipments of vegetables and fruits, as they intervened by changing the route of these trucks and enabling them to have safe passages that would preserve their safety and the safety of the drivers.”

The spokesman drew attention to the fact that “Moroccans trust Spanish justice, as the file is still with the judiciary and has not yet been decided upon, and we have received answers regarding the lawsuits that we had previously filed,” noting that “the relationship at the present time with the Iberian neighbor is distinguished, as Moroccan exports pass through From Spanish soil normally, and we hope that this dynamic will continue and that this relationship will remain as it is.”

Returning to the details, a wave of protests erupted in a number of European countries led by professional farmers’ organizations, against what they consider “difficulties facing agriculture.” Spain witnessed an important proportion of this dynamic after a number of farmers took part in protests that quickly turned into activities. Directed against Moroccan exporters.

The targeting of Moroccan trucks loaded with agricultural products was due to what the Spanish professional organizations saw as “unfair competition,” which at the time caused huge losses to Moroccan exporters, especially since the Moroccan trucks were subjected to forced arrest and their goods were destroyed.

Accordingly, “Comader” resorted to the Spanish courts, in late February, against the professional parties that were behind the sabotage operations that Moroccan goods were subjected to on the country’s roads, confirming in a previous report that “these agricultural products that are being marketed come within the framework of the partnership agreement between Morocco and the European Union countries.”