Viral Photo: Golfers Play On While African Migrants Stuck On Fence

Some crazy things have been witnessed at golf courses in recent months. An eagle trying to steal a ball. A swarm of hornets forcing a player to jump in a lake. Planes making emergency landings on fairways.

Add this one to the list: African migrants trying to escape from Morocco into a Spanish enclave get caught on a razorwire fence overlooking a pristine golf course.

Here’s the photo that’s gone viral, taken by José Palazón of the migrant rights group Pro.De.In Melilla:

En Melilla esta mañana: Marca España. pic.twitter.com/faErGU5BmJ

— asoc.PRODEIN melilla (@PRODEINORG) October 22, 2014

African migrants look down on white-clad golfers in viral photo http://t.co/uJsfKRI32h pic.twitter.com/gJsb5BrA1A

— The Guardian (@guardian) October 23, 2014

And here’s some video that further illustrates the stark difference between life outside the fence compared to that on the inside:

The course is part of the Club Campo de Golf in Melilla, which is a Spanish enclave covering five square miles and surrounded by Morocco. A double fence with razorwire lines the city to keep immigrants from entering.

According to The Guardian, “Each year thousands of Africans – many of whom have spent years traveling across north and sub-Saharan Africa – try to reach Europe by making it past the fortified fence that separates Morocco from the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta. Many of them spend months living in makeshift camps on the Moroccan side, waiting for the opportunity to rush the fence.”

Said Palazón, “It seemed like a good moment to take a photo that was a bit more symbolic. The photo reflects the situation really well – the differences that exist here and all the ugliness that is happening here.”

[h/t Golf Digest]