The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has found unexpected support in the ordeal he is going through on account of the management of his department during the tragedy of the fence in Melilla. With almost the entire parliamentary arc —with the exception of the PSOE— against it, as was evident in his appearance this Wednesday in Congress, the head of the Interior has won the support of a large part of the civil guard associations for the defense — without cracks — that it has been carrying out of the actions of the agents during the massive jump over the fence that resulted in at least 23 deaths.
It is not a closing ranks around the head of the Interior portfolio. But positions - which seemed irreconcilable - have come closer between the civil guard associations with the most representation and the minister. Jucil sources, the majority among agents of the Armed Institute, acknowledge to La Vanguardia that "for the first time in years" they agree on the main points of the official version.
Of course, there are also those that differ. Although these differences have more to do with problems that come from behind —such as the lack of troops and material in Melilla— than with the actions carried out by the Civil Guard that fateful day.
"The minister is not lying," the same sources explain, "when he affirms that no immigrant died in national territory." This thesis, today, is only maintained by the Interior and the Civil Guard. Even the Popular Party has subscribed to the theory that there were indeed deceased immigrants in Spain.
"The minister is not lying," they continue, when he says that no agent omitted to deny help." This question has been questioned by recent journalistic works in which the conclusion is reached that the health care that could have been given was not provided.
The civil guards consulted agree that at the time of the avalanche of migrants trying to cross the gates of the border crossing, the agents had already withdrawn so they had no vision.
“The minister is not lying”, they conclude, “when he assures that the hot returns were legal”. The truth is that the head of the Interior refuses to call them that and prefers to use the term of border rejections. But what they agree on is that they were carried out in the cases allowed by law —not with minors or women— and with the help of members of the Moroccan police, as is usual in these cases.
