Twenty-three migrants were taken to court today in the wake of  riots at Safi detention camp yesterday.

Six of the migrants are from Mali, two from Gambia, one from Eritrea, three from Ethiopia, three from Sudan, a Nigerian, another from Niger, an Egyptian, two from the Ivory Coast, one from Togo, one from Congo and one from Sierra Leone.

They were accused of causing the riot, damaging public property and injuring public officers. The damage was estimated to cost more than €1000.

The riot was sparked after the migrants were told that their request for humanitarian protection had been refused.

The migrants started a fire, damaged the detention centre and pelted soldiers and policemen with stones and other hard objects. They also threw sewage water and bleach at them.

The soldiers replied with tear gas.

All pleaded not guilty and were remanded in custody.

GWU SOLIDARITY

The GWU in a statement expresed its solidarity with the members of the Detention Service, the Police and the AFM, who had to deal with the riot yesterday.

It called for talks with the government on improving the working conditions, health and safety of the Detention Service officers and said it was wrong that officers were locked in with the migrants.

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