The lighting-up will take place on Saturday, Amnesty International stressing that it is a move to raise the awareness of the situation of refugees among local authorities and the general public. A statement reads: "The lack of response to this humanitarian tragedy has made us all passive witnesses, if not directly complicit in the deaths of thousands of people at sea."
The watchtowers, built for defensive purposes, will now serve "to light the way for those people, who fleeing war, violence and misery, aspire to a better life". A further objective of the initiative is to remember the legacy of Joan Binimelis: it is the four hundredth anniversary of the death of this Manacor historian, doctor, astronomer and mathematician.
Amensty International has also launched its "I Welcome" campaign, which demands that governments provide protection to refugees and guarantee the respect of their human rights. It wants the Spanish government to "immediately" meet commitments made in respect of the relocation and resettlement of refugees. The organisation is, moreover, urging local authorities to increase the number of reception places, especially for women, children and people who are particularly vulnerable.
There are two parts to the Saturday event. At 13.00 there will be smoke and at 18.15 there will be fire. Numerous watchtowers are involved. Information is available on the Facebook page - Talaies de Mallorca: Torres de defensa pels Drets Humans.
20 comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
Yes, I had noticed. What I find particularly extraordinary, not to say highly hipocritical, is that the people organising this ( the Marratxi public school ) seem to be more worried about the "human rights" of people who don't even live here than those of the people that do. Witness their campaign against Spanish parents who have for some of the lessons to be taught in Spanish, as the law demands, and against pupils who disagree with the schools management, making public private letters written to them. That are know for brain washing the pupils to accept Catalan independence and basically giving more importance to politics than teaching. YouTube have a few clips about this. Meanwhile the level of education on the islands is rock bottom.
Simon, they must be lurking in the background as one of them has given you a negative vote !
Dave, seems like Sara and Wallace are very quick to critisize people who do not agree with them i.e.the silent majority, but are incapable of giving a satisfactory answer if asked to explain their views, as another correspondent did a day or so ago.
In regards to jumping to conclusions and telling lies, please read my comment about Algeria and immigrants again. You have not understood it.
Sara, please accept my apologies for accusing you of being Sarah. I must admit that I did find it strange as her comments have always been level headed and full of common sense. I do note though that you are very quick in replying to those people whose comments offend you, but have ignored Richard Pearson's post asking for clarification about some previous comments made by yourself. I hope it is not because you don't know the answer. Regards, Julian
Que Sara Sara, whatever will be will be, we're not taking them in from the sea, que Sara Sara.
Seems like Sara and Wallace are left wing bigots to me. I would throw the argument back to Wallace and say have you ever had to go into a nightclub and identify your dead relative who has had his eyes gauged out and genitals cut off? Thats what happened in Paris by Tunisian migrants. Its happening too much to just let anyone in a boat in. If we let people, why not do what the Romanians and Hungarians did, let the Syrian catholics come here or the poor tortured coptic christians. At least that way we let in migrants who after 5 minutes dont decide they hate "morally corrupt" westerners and want to kill them.
Julian: don't bother replying to the first point. I found the comment - it was posted by 'Sarah'!! I am 'Sara'. How hastily you jump to conclusions.
Julian: could you please direct me to the comment where I supposedly said that I had thankfully been able to escape from a relationship I had with a person of the Islamic faith and that I, quote, "feared for us all" because I can assure you I said nothing of the sort!! Maybe someone else did but it certainly wasn’t me. Secondly exactly where have I demanded that you should take those that come from Algeria into your homes and cloth and feed them? Stop inventing words and telling lies!Wallace: you are so right.
Wallace, you are an absolute disgrace. "A few teror attacks" How dare you. In the last 16 months we've had Nice, Bataclan Paris, Brussels, Berlin, hundreds of innocents died. Tunisians were responsible in 3 of those, and er yes its mostly Algerians and Tunisiand rocking up in boats to Mallorca. Neither of these countries are a war zone. In fact only some central and western African states, Libya abd Syria could be classified as that and the people rocking up in Mallorca are not from there. I visited Sangatte and it was full of young knife wielding early 20's males. Thd truly worthy victims are stuck in camps sround Syria. The rest are young male mostly muslim economic migrants (with a few terrorists thrown in) as the Germans have sadly found out. I wont even get on to get on to the fact that in Germany, Sweden and Denmark its virtually impossible now to have any mass celebrations without gangs of muslims raping or groping girls. Do we really want that in Mallorca at the various festivals in Palma. Wallace please apologise now.