Spain has a city in the middle of Morocco. Ceuta is surrounded by a 6m fence. Why so much protection? Well, Morocco is in Africa and Spain is in Europe. A piece of Europe sits there ready to take asylum seakers…. if they can scale the fence and get there to make their claim without dying or being caught in the process.

Many have died over the years but this latest, huge, mass storming thankfully ended in no deaths and thus far it seems the Spanish authorities are treating people with some dignity.

Jose Antonio Nieto, the Spanish interior ministry’s state secretary for security, spoke saying that around 800 people made the charge on Friday.

438 succeeded in landing on European soil, 49 of those are being treated in hospital.

A few police were injured as some of the refugees used sticks and stones against officers.

Talking with the Associated Press Helena Maleno Garzon (a member of the Caminando Fronteras/Walking Borders group that works with potential border violators in Morocco) said:

“Fortunately, we did not have to regret any deaths or too many injuries this time,”

Many of the refugees are teens and minors, fleeing conflict in Mali and Ebola in Guinea.

Many will lodge asylum claims, sadly some will be sent back but some will get a new life in Europe.

Our thoughts are with them.

Read more in Al Jazeera.