Thousands of people marched through central Madrid on Saturday to protest against the Spanish government’s handling of the migration crisis in Ceuta and demand an early general election.
The demonstration, the second March for Dignity organised by Sociedad Civil Española, began shortly after 10am in Plaza de Cibeles. Protesters travelled along Calle Alcalá, Gran Vía and Calle Princesa before finishing at the ‘Arco de la Victoria’ in Moncloa. Many carried Spanish flags, while some chanted ‘Ceuta is not for sale, Ceuta must be defended’ and shouted slogans against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska. ALSO READ: Spanish court to investigate deadly Ceuta migrant surge as possible ‘hybrid warfare’ operation.
The march took place without incident amid a substantial police presence. The central government’s delegation in Madrid put attendance at 20,000, while the organisers claimed 180,000. Sociedad Civil Española brings together more than 150 civil associations and held Saturday’s protest under the slogan ‘For dignity and in defence of Spain’.
Ceuta, the Spanish city bordering Morocco in North Africa, has been under intense pressure since more than 70,000 migrants crossed into the territory on 30-31 July. Most returned within hours, but thousands have remained for weeks, with some sleeping on the streets. The situation has strained the city’s resources and fuelled a dispute over what the government knew before the arrivals and whether it has done enough since. ALSO READ: Thousands of migrants return to Ceuta beaches after port reception camps reach capacity.
Opposition leaders demand returns to Morocco
Far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal joined the march, along with senior figures from the right-wing People’s Party (PP), led by its secretary general, Miguel Tellado.
Tellado called for those who entered Ceuta to be returned to Morocco. ‘Those who have invaded Ceuta must leave the way they came,’ he told reporters. He accused the government of failing to act despite, he claimed, having advance warning of the mass arrival. ALSO READ: Spain had warnings of mass migrant crossings into Ceuta, but not their scale, documents reveal.
‘There is a common feeling that the government has not acted responsibly. There was the utmost negligence because it knew and did not act. It stood by and allowed more than 80,000 invaders to arrive,’ he said.
‘Spain is unprotected. Ceuta was the victim of an invasion two months ago. Spain did not act despite having information, and it is not acting after the invasion either,’ Tellado added. He praised what he called the ‘heroic work’ of Ceuta’s PP-led authorities, saying: ‘There is more sense of state in Vivas than in the entire government,’ in reference to the city’s president, Juan Jesús Vivas.
Abascal likewise demanded that the migrants return to their countries of origin and accused Sánchez of failing to defend Ceuta. ‘Ceuta remains invaded because Sánchez remains Morocco’s servant. A migrant invasion is being encouraged,’ he said. ALSO READ: Spain will not ‘turn migrants into the enemy’, Sánchez tells UN as he highlights Ceuta crisis.
‘I don’t believe in anything this government does. It has told the people of Ceuta that they must get used to a structural reality. The distrust is total,’ Abascal added. He also questioned why the PP had refused to back Vox’s proposal to use Article 102 of the Constitution to pursue a treason accusation against Sánchez.
Government ministers respond
The government rejected the opposition’s attacks. Digital Transformation and Civil Service Minister Óscar López accused the PP of choosing to attend what he called far-right demonstrations instead of focusing on housing and education.
‘You will never see the PP defending housing or education, but you will see it at far-right demonstrations called to hurl insults,’ he said. Responding to Tellado’s accusation that the government had betrayed Spaniards, López said it was the PP that was betraying people unable to afford a home. ALSO READ: Spanish government pushes for new housing decree after eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen.
Presidency Minister Félix Bolaños described the march’s manifesto as ‘delusional’. ‘The demonstration with its delusional manifesto did not disappoint. This is what the PP-Vox-Alvise coalition offers. We remain focused on solutions and people’s rights,’ he wrote on X.
What the organisers are demanding
Sociedad Civil Española’s manifesto calls for ‘the immediate calling of a general election so that the Spanish people can freely express their will’. Organisers want a vote by 15 November, although Spain’s next general election is not due until August 2027.
The manifesto also demands guarantees that an election would be ‘clean’, alleging a growing suspicion that the government could manipulate the electoral roll through nationality applications under the so-called grandchildren’s law. ALSO READ: Spain’s Supreme Court provisionally restricts voting rights for some descendants granted nationality under ‘grandchildren’s law’.
It also calls on Congress to begin the procedure under Article 102 of the Constitution to accuse Sánchez of treason and an offence against state security. Vox has pressed that demand in recent weeks, but the PP has rejected it, pointing instead to judicial proceedings opened at the National Court.
On Ceuta, the organisers call for the city to be placed under military control and for everyone they describe as an ‘invader’ to be expelled to Morocco. They say residents of Ceuta and Melilla need urgent answers and have announced a further mobilisation in Barcelona on 12 October, Spain’s national day.
Meanwhile, El País reported on Saturday that the government plans to approve a decree at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting intended to accelerate returns from Ceuta to Morocco. According to the report, the measure would shorten the time available to decide asylum applications and restrict applicants’ ability to remain in Spain while their cases are considered.
The government has already increased capacity at temporary shelters, deployed hundreds of police officers and soldiers, and boosted funding for Ceuta’s authorities. Local groups and opposition parties, however, say those steps have fallen short of what is needed to resolve the crisis.
A second March for Dignity
PP and Vox figures also supported Sociedad Civil Española’s first March for Dignity on 23 May. That protest called for Sánchez’s immediate resignation and followed a route from Plaza de Colón to the ‘Arco de la Victoria’. The government delegation estimated attendance at around 40,000; organisers claimed 120,000.
Abascal attended that earlier march, while PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo was at a party congress in the Balearic Islands. Both leaders later joined a demonstration in Madrid on 2 September, Ceuta Day, in support of the city following the July arrivals. ALSO READ: Tens of thousands rally across Spain in support of Ceuta as crisis fuels anger at Sánchez government.
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VIDEO | Miles de personas convocadas por la plataforma Sociedad Civil Española se han manifestado en Madrid para denunciar la gestión de la crisis de Ceuta y contra el Gobierno de Pedro Sánchez. pic.twitter.com/lxfXpBMrxE
— EFE Noticias (@EFEnoticias) September 26, 2026
Ceuta sigue invadida porque Sánchez sigue siendo el siervo del rey de Marruecos.
— Santiago Abascal 🇪🇸 (@Santi_ABASCAL) September 26, 2026
Los españoles siguen quedándose sin casa, y los jóvenes ni siquiera sueñan con tenerla, mientras que a los de fuera se les acoge, se les da alojamiento y se promueve la invasión.
Sánchez es un… pic.twitter.com/KH6ObEERpK
Este fin de semana hay tres manifestaciones en Madrid:
— Oscar López Agueda (@oscarlopeztwit) September 26, 2026
– En defensa de la vivienda
– En defensa de la educación
– La de Marcos de Quinto para insultar
Adivinad a cuál va el PP.
Ellos son los traidores a la gente. pic.twitter.com/wVuzT0YByt
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