Catalan MP Ruben Wagensberg in Rojava

The Member of the Catalan Parliament (MCP) and number 13 on the Esquerra Republicana ticket for Barcelona in the forthcoming Catalan elections Ruben Wagensberg has managed to gain access to Rojava in Syria. Despite the difficulties encountered entering a war zone, the Esquerra MCP has been able to access the area for humanitarian reasons and thus visit camps for internally displaced refugees in the next few days. Mr Wagensberg, a migrations expert and Esquerra’s spokesman on the issue, said he meant to carry out a first-hand inspection of the effects on the population of the armed conflict between the Syrian Kurds and Turkey. “We hope to ascertain what the situation is for these displaced people, who cannot reach Europe as refugees, and to denounce Spain’s military support for Turkey,” he explained.

In early December, Mr Wagensberg also travelled in the midst of a migration crisis to the makeshift refugee camp the Spanish authorities had set up in the Canary Islands, During the visit he met members of the Refugee Aid Commission and those responsible for the Sea Rescue service deployed in the area, as well as attempting to visit the Barranco Seco military camp.