On November 15 thousands took to the streets of Madrid for the fifth year in a row to show their support for the Sahrawi people. The march marks the thirty-third anniversary of Spain's withdrawal from Western Sahara, which led to the former Spanish colony being occupied by the Moroccan army. The protest was called by the State Co-ordinator of Associations in Solidarity with the Sahara (CEAS-Sahara) and by a group of celebrities, Todos con el Sáhara, founded by actor Javier Bardem.

The manifesto read during the protest emphasizes the fact that Spain continues to provide the Moroccan regime with military equipment and calls on the Spanish Government to help find a "just and definitive" solution to the conflict. It also condemns the human rights abuses suffered by the Sahrawi people at the hands of the Moroccan authorities, including "arbitrary detentions, torture, and exploitation of the justice system for political motives."

The document also criticizes the European Union after an agreement was signed with Rabat that included Sahrawi waters.

The manifesto ends by calling for a "free, democratic and fair" referendum on self-determination as the only solution to the conflict, which it defines as a "clear case of illegal occupation of a territory by force" as opposed to an ethnic or religious conflict.

The Western Sahara peace process, which is mediated by the United Nations, has been in deadlock for years because Morocco is reluctant to hold a referendum on self-determination in the territory.

Image: poster calling for the march.

Furter information:

• A Nosa Terra: Miles de persoas piden a liberdade do Sáhara
• El País: Actores españoles piden libertad para el Sáhara
• Coordinadora Estatal de Asociaciones Solidarias con el Sahara
• Plataforma Todos con el Sahara
• Nationalia:El procés d'autodeterminació del Sàhara Occidental, encallat de nou