The attacks erupted in the town of El Ejido following the funeral of a Spanish woman reportedly killed by a Moroccan. The assaults by mobs, armed at times with bats and iron bars, were against foreign-born workers. Most are Moroccans, although many are from other African countries. The violence went virtually unchecked by the police. By the end of the fifth day of attacks, and after hundreds of immigrants had been injured, 42 people were arrested, 26 of them of African origin. During the riots, thousands of workers sought refuge in the foothills surrounding the town.

The rioters destroyed one mosque, vandalized grocery stores and restaurants, set fire to a number of shanties where immigrants live, and burned scores of vehicles. In the midst of the anti-immigrant assault, a mob of 200 racists raided the offices of the Progressive Women's Federation, destroyed computers, and burned files. Days later documents relating to immigrants in the area were stolen from the federation's offices. A similar attack took place against the headquarters of Almería Acoge, an organization that assists immigrants in the province.

The immigrant workers responded by shutting down agricultural production in the area's 10,000 greenhouses. By February 9, the second day of the work stoppage, the overwhelming majority of the workers were on strike, preventing any picking of peppers and cucumbers in practically all the hothouses in the area. As part of their fight, the Association of Moroccan Immigrant Workers in Spain (ATIME) organized 14 roving picket squads, each made up by five strikers with a car and a cell phone. Workers picketed farms where they do not work to prevent victimization after the strike, and met twice a day to assess the fight.

The influx of immigrant workers into the country has picked up noticeably in the last two decades. While only 2 percent of Spain's nearly 40 million inhabitants are foreign-born, the needs of the employers in city and countryside have spurred immigration.

The highly intensive labor required by hothouse agriculture, for instance, which developed in the country's southeast over the last quarter century, is largely supplied by immigrant workers. The wealth produced by these workers has made El Ejido one of three towns with the highest per capita income in the country, creating a vast gulf between the rich and poor in the area.  
 

An informed vote

When the settlement proposal was drawn up, strike leaders distributed thousands of copies in Arabic, including to people hiding in the hills. Workers were able to read and discuss the document before voting. In addition to ATIME, other signers included representatives from Spain's two main trade union federations, other community and immigrant rights organizations, as well as the associations of employers, exporters, and other bosses. The regional government also agreed to oversee its implementation.

Passed by close to 100 percent, the settlement's main demands included emergency shelter for immigrants who suffered damages to their homes; immediate compensation to both foreign-born and Spanish nationals for all losses and damages resulting from the riots, including to religious sites, buildings, vehicles, shops, and hothouses; and immediate issuing of documentation for immigrants already in the province.

The key demands "are non-negotiable," explained Kamal Rahmouni. "The resettlement of those who were left homeless is of utmost urgency," added Rahmouni, one of the regional leaders of ATIME.

Juan Enciso, El Ejido's mayor and one of the main opponents of the settlement, insisted that prefabricated homes for some 300 workers near the hothouses be considered permanent dwellings and that workers be restricted to areas outside the city limits.

ATIME's president, Abdel Hamid Beyuki, denounced Enciso's stance as an attempt to create "a mini-apartheid." In fact, one of the farm workers' demands calls for "a program of social dwellings for immigrants as well as Spaniards, so that all social layers will benefit and the establishment of ghettos can be averted."

Whether or not workers will hold further actions will be decided after a meeting February 25 where progress on all of the key demands must be verified.  
 
 
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