14 Nov, 2010 @ 18:57
1 min read

Javier Bardem joins protest against Western Sahara violations

ACTOR Javier Bardem joined thousands of protesters opposed to Morocco’s human rights violations in the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara.

It comes after Moroccan security forces raided a camp housing about 20,000 people demanding better living conditions near the Western Saharan capital Laayoune.

Amnesty International has called for a full investigation after the Moroccan government admitted that at least 12 people died, including 10 police officers.

Protests against the treatment of the Saharawi people of Western Sahara have been taking place every night in Jerez.

Up to 100 demonstrators are demanding independence for the region, that was annexed by Morocco 24 years ago.

The protestors have condemned both the Spanish and Moroccan government for their mistreatment of the Saharawi people.

Protesters blamed Spain for the problems in the region. Spain colonised the area from 1884 until its pull out in 1975.

Demonstrator Larabas Labeidi, a Western Sahara native enrolled in a Master’s in Economics program at the University de Sevilla, explained that Western Sahara remains crippled by this post-colonial grey area.

“Spain is responsible for all of this” he said. “We cannot properly defend ourselves because we are not our own country. We still, after 35 years, do not have a legal document that says that we are free from Spain.”

Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)

Jon Clarke is a Londoner who worked at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday as an investigative journalist before moving to Spain in 2003 where he helped set up the Olive Press.

After studying Geography at Manchester University he fell in love with Spain during a two-year stint teaching English in Madrid.

On returning to London, he studied journalism and landed his first job at the weekly Informer newspaper in Teddington, covering hundreds of stories in areas including Hounslow, Richmond and Harrow.

This led on to work at the Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Standard and even the Sun, before he landed his first full time job at the Daily Mail.

After a year on the Newsdesk he worked as a Showbiz correspondent covering mostly music, including the rise of the Spice Girls, the rivalry between Oasis and Blur and interviewed many famous musicians such as Joe Strummer and Ray Manzarak, as well as Peter Gabriel and Bjorn from Abba on his own private island.

After a year as the News Editor at the UK’s largest-selling magazine Now, he returned to work as an investigative journalist in Features at the Mail on Sunday.

As well as tracking down Jimi Hendrix’ sole living heir in Sweden, while there he also helped lead the initial investigation into Prince Andrew’s seedy links to Jeffrey Epstein during three trips to America.

He had dozens of exclusive stories, while his travel writing took him to Jamaica, Brazil and Belarus.

He is the author of three books; Costa Killer, Dining Secrets of Andalucia and My Search for Madeleine.

Contact jon@theolivepress.es

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