Spain says Moroccan demonstrators blockading border with Spanish enclave over police incident

Spain says Moroccan demonstators blockade enclave

MADRID — A Spanish police official says Moroccan demonstrators are blockading the border with the Spanish enclave of Melilla, preventing all trucks from entering it.

Thursday’s protest is going ahead even though the two countries’ kings spoke by telephone Wednesday to try to ease tensions following a series of incidents between Spanish border police and Moroccans.

The police official said the border crossing itself is quiet because the demonstrators have apparently erected their blockade further inside Moroccan territory. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with department policy.

Melilla is a centuries-old Spanish city of some 70,000 people on Morocco’s northern coast. It depends heavily on Morocco for products such as fresh fish, fruit and vegetables and construction materials.