‘Racist’ attack on migrant children’s center denounced

The exMENA group, a collective of people who grew up in Catalonia’s unaccompanied migrant children’s centers, showed their support to care workers who are staying in the center in El Masnou, a seaside town north of Barcelona, that was attacked by “far-right extremists” on Thursday. 

A spokesperson for the group, Lamiae Abassi, said in a public act on Friday that the children staying in the center are "unprotected" and that, despite some neighbors expressing "fear" for the presence of the young people in the municipality, Abassi believes "the threat is on the street, and the minors of the migrant center are those that have to be scared."

Abassi says that the harassment suffered by the teenagers is for "racial" reasons, a sentiment also expressed by Catalan government official Chakir El Homrani after the attack. 

Abassi visited the children’s center in El Masnou with other exMENA members to meet with minors, know first hand how they feel, and offer them help in any way they can. Upon arriving at the site, however, a broad police deployment prevented access to the hostel where the minors are staying.

According to police sources, their presence was part of a preventive measure with the fear that the exMENA group's act could lead to counter demonstrations, similar to the attack that occurred on Thursday. "We do not want to risk it," a police officer said.

In front of the center, the exMENA group denounced the lack of protection of young migrants. "They are not getting the protection they are owed," Abassi said. 

Apart from condemning the events of Thursday, Abassi also criticized the "generalization" that is made about the group of migrants and that some want to paint them all as criminals. 

"There is always someone who dismisses the rules, but not only among the migrants. Everywhere and in every group there are criminals, there are non-criminals, and everything in between. You should never generalize."

In March, a migrant children's center in Castelldefels was attacked twice in a weekend, leaving three care workers injured.