Spain is prepared to pass a law which will allow it to expel north African migrants who gain entry into the country’s enclaves there.
The law also imposes heavy fines for protests outside parliament buildings or strategic installations. This has drawn criticism for being an attempt to halt protests over the government’s handling of the economic crisis.
The law passed 181 to 141 in the lower house of parliament.
If enacted, police in the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla would be able to force illegal migrants back and into the hands of Moroccan police.
Both these territories have seen swarms of migrants storming the fences topped with barbed wire in order to gain access to Spain.
Since Mariano Rajoy took office in 2011, the country has had a series of austerity measures and cutbacks in education and health. Protests have been part of the landscape nearly every week, the majority of them peaceful.
The new legislations says organisers of demonstrations outside parliament buildings and key installations that are deemed to be disturbing the peace can be fined up to €600,000. Protesters who prevent authorities from carrying out evictions can be fined up to €30,000 while insulting a police officer can result in a fine of up to €600.
The measures, which update a 1992 law, also include fines of up to €30,000 for disseminating photographs of police officers that endanger them or police operations.
