Iberian Wanderers set forCeutatrip
An Iberian Wanderers XI is set to visit Ceuta next week to show support for Indian immigrants who have set up camp in the hills near the city, a Spanish enclave in North Africa. The immigrants – 54 in total – have been denied access to mainlandSpainand fled to the mountains more than a year ago when they feared deportation fromSpain.
The Iberian Wanderers, a roaming cricket team formed to play occasional matches, will travel toCeutato play a match against the Mountain Tigers, a team set up by the Indians. The game is scheduled to take place at 4pm on Saturday September 19th in a central location.
The match will be the centrepiece of a weekend-long series of activities aimed at raising awareness of the plight the Indians are facing and to call for the Spanish authorities to allow them to travel to the mainland. The weekend “Solidarity Camp” has received massive support, with more than 200 people already signed up to travel, watch the match and camp out on the Saturday night in the foothills near the Indians’ camp.
The Indians’ precarious situation was recently highlighted in a news report broadcast on Times Now, a major Indian news outlet. The report features Iberian Wanderers player Ashish Sharma and can be seen at
http://www.timesnow.tv/Story-of-Indias-nowhere-people-revealed/videoshow/4325834.cms
In addition, several videos have been posted on YouTube (look for “Tigres del Monte”) and news articles have been published in various Spanish newspapers.
The Iberian Wanderers is looking for players to join the team and travel to Ceutato play in the match. If you are interested in showing solidarity with the Indians please contact David Stirton at davidstirton@ya.com or on (34) 670 087 637.