Boat found ‘populated’ with black mannequins on Estepona beach

LEFT wing political parties have called for a criminal investigation after an anti-immigrant boat ‘populated’ with black dummies was set up on a Spanish beach.

The small dinghy with four mannequins on board to represent immigrants, was due to be burned as part of the San Juan ‘fire’ celebrations on La Raga beach in Estepona.

It has been denounced by the PSOE and the IU and was taken down just before midnight by the local police.

Some people were dismayed by what they saw as racist signs that the mannequins were holding. One sarcastically read: “Show a little affection, they give us €2,500 per child” and another: “I think we’ve finally crossed into Spanish territory.”

The United Left (IU) political party complained to Mayor Jose Maria Garcia Urbano, saying that a criminal investigation may be necessary. The PSOE socialist party later seconded this notion. The council agreed to take the boat away on Sunday afternoon but it was not until much later that any effort to remove it took place.

The town council declared that it doesn’t share the message represented in the symbolic gesture

It wasn’t just the socialists who were complaining though. Another effigy, or ‘jua’ depicted the right-wing Vox party’s leader Santiago Abascal, waving a Spanish flag, with posters bearing messages such as “Viva España. Viva Vox”, “Franco seemed a communist next to you” and “The bulls in the field, the bullfights in bed”.

Vox denounced the jua with Abascal, tweeting: “I don’t give a damn if they burn my doll. It defines them. But I am outraged by them burning the Spanish flag on an Andalucian beach.”

Eventually the jua was burned after the flag was removed, with the builder of the display explaining he had always intended to do so.