Footage of this protest yesterday in El Aaiun was taken two hours after the European Parliament consented to the EU-Morocco fisheries protocol, which allows for EU fishing in occupied Western Sahara. The people of Western Sahara have not been asked for their approval.
Footage of this protest yesterday in El Aaiun was taken two hours after the European Parliament consented to the EU-Morocco fisheries protocol, which allows for EU fishing in occupied Western Sahara. The people of Western Sahara have not been asked for their approval.
The demonstrations were held in relation to the International Day of Human Rights, but at the same time were aimed against the EU's decision to go fish in Saharawi waters through a deal with the occupying force, Morocco.
The weekend before the vote in the European Parliament, the Saharawis had also taken to the streets to denounce the inclusion of their waters, while they themselves were excluded from the negotiations leading to the protocol. Find videos and photos of those protests here.
Scroll further down for footage of the arrest of six Spanish citizens who took part in yesterday's protest.
Arrest of activists from Canary Islands
The German company confirms once again that its operations in occupied Western Sahara are closely tied to Morocco’s infrastructure expansion in the territory - while continuing to dismiss the Saharawi people’s right to consent.
For over 40 years, a Moroccan state-owned company has exported phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara.
Only three companies imported phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara in 2025 - the lowest number ever recorded. The findings appear in our annual P for Plunder report, released today.
The fish stocks of occupied Western Sahara have not only attracted the interest of the Moroccan fleet: other foreign interests are also fishing in the occupied waters through arrangements with Moroccan counterparts. Along the Western Saharan coastline, a processing industry has emerged.