Demonstrators blockade the border entrance to the Spanish enclave of Melilla

Moroccan demonstrators blockaded the border entrance to the Spanish enclave of Melilla on 12 August 2010 to protest alleged racism and abuses by Spanish authorities against Moroccans entering the city. The demonstration prevented all deliveries to Melilla. The blockade is expected to stop on 13 August and over the weekend but is to be reinstated and reinforced on 16 August. Protest organizers stated that they will continue to focus on preventing supplies and especially construction materials and personnel from entering the enclave. Similarly, on 17 August the planned protest will focus on preventing daily workers, especially Moroccan domestic workers, from going to work in the city. The protest began just a day after Morocco's King Mohammed VI spoke with Spain's King Juan Carlos I in an attempt to ease rising tensions over the recent allegations. Morocco has officially lodged five complaints in the past few weeks regarding the treatment of Moroccans by Spanish security personnel in the enclave. Spanish authorities have denied the allegations.