La Voz de Lanzarote cautiously welcomed two years ago the complaint made public by three immigrant associations on the island, who claimed that mistreatment and abuse were being inflicted on children in the ...
La Voz de Lanzarote cautiously welcomed two years ago the complaint made public by three immigrant associations on the island, who claimed that mistreatment and abuse were being inflicted on children in the Foreign Minors Center. The seriousness of the accusations made it necessary to wait for the Justice system to determine the veracity of what was reported, even beyond the fact that the forms used by the presidents of these groups, and even their change of discourse as the days went by, could be questionable at the time.
However, just as prudence was necessary in its day, indignation is now inevitable. And not because a judge has acquitted the three workers who ended up being charged, declaring the trial null and void due to procedural problems, but because of the shameful backtracking of the complainants.
What at the time were "humiliating treatment" and "verbal and even physical aggressions" towards the immigrant minors who were in the CAME-1, now turns out to be only "an isolated event" (an alleged racist comment) witnessed by one of the complainants, who also has the nerve to state that "the professionalism of the workers was not in question".
And as if that were not enough, at least the only one of the three who has reappeared, José Morales, has continued trying to entangle this unpleasant story, saying that they themselves were going to withdraw the complaint. As if they had really gone to the courts, when all they did was send a letter to the institutions involved and give a press conference, in which they previously made sure to guarantee the presence of all the media, calling to warn of the "importance" of what they were going to say there.
They did not go to the courts, nor to the Prosecutor's Office, despite now trying to confuse by stating that they were thinking of "withdrawing the complaint". And even if they had done so, such a statement would still make your hair stand on end, due to the lightness they reflect in their actions. And what has changed so that they no longer believe that abuse and mistreatment were being committed?
According to themselves, the reason has been an internal report from the Cabildo, which they claim to have received a few days ago, in which no evidence of the reported events is found. And that's it? Were their evidence or their conviction really so weak as to take such a step back, after the damage they have caused to the reputation and image of all the workers at that center?
If they continued to think that there was mistreatment and abuse, it would be unthinkable that they would now decide not to pursue judicial responsibilities. Therefore, what happened shows that either they lied at the time, or they were carried away by some poorly substantiated comment. And although you want to give them a margin of confidence and believe in the second option, what they should have done a long time ago is admit it publicly, summoning all the media as they did then, and apologize until they are hoarse.
If someone considers that a crime is being committed, and even more so when we are talking about children, without a doubt their obligation is to go and report it, but where it corresponds. And in this case, it seems that the only thing that was sought was the multiplier effect of the media, but without even bothering to go to Justice. Something that the Cabildo had to do upon receiving the letter from these groups, despite the fact that it always welcomed this complaint with great skepticism.
Obviously, the same skepticism with which any information that comes from Guelage Ganó, president of the Cultural Association Collective Immigrants Independents of the Canary Islands, Sheikh Mousa Nying, president of the Association of Senegalese in Lanzarote "Gente Unida", and José Morales Brum, president of the Sociocultural Association of Uruguayans in Lanzarote "Jacinto Vera", after their shameful performance in this matter.
And at this point, and after having the acquittal of the Justice in hand, the only thing that is surprising is that the workers have not filed an immediate lawsuit for slander and libel against these three people.
