Tens of thousands rally across Spain in support of Ceuta as crisis fuels anger at Sánchez government

Ceuta Day, the autonomous city’s annual holiday on 2 September, normally attracts relatively little attention beyond the Spanish territory on the North African coast. This year, however, it became the focus of demonstrations in cities and towns across the country following more than a month of migration, humanitarian and political turmoil.

Spanish and Ceuta flags dominated many of the rallies, which combined messages of solidarity with residents of the city with increasingly fierce criticism of the national government’s handling of the crisis.

The largest demonstration outside Ceuta was in Madrid, where the central government delegation estimated that around 50,000 people gathered in Plaza de Cibeles. Madrid City Council, however, put the figure at 150,000. Significant demonstrations also took place in Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and numerous other cities.

The protests followed an appeal by the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), which called on municipalities across the country to demonstrate their solidarity with Ceuta. The initiative was backed by the right-wing People’s Party (PP) and the far-right Vox party, but criticised by the socialist-led government, which accused its organisers of turning support for Ceuta into a partisan political campaign.

The demonstrations came just over a month after approximately 72,000 people crossed into Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco on 30-31 July, swimming around border barriers, climbing across them or forcing their way through. At least 90 people died attempting to reach Spanish territory. ALSO READ: Sánchez condemns mass Ceuta crossing as ‘violation of Spain’s territorial integrity’.

Most of those who entered subsequently returned to Morocco or were sent back across the border, but the national government says around 5,000 migrants remain in Ceuta, including approximately 1,200 minors. Ceuta’s authorities have put the number higher.

The scale of the influx was particularly dramatic for a territory with a normal population of only around 84,000 and has placed enormous pressure on accommodation, public services and security. ALSO READ: Sánchez convenes National Security Council as government steps up response to Ceuta migrant crisis.

Ceuta stages one of its biggest demonstrations

The most emotionally charged scenes were in Ceuta itself, where residents who have been demonstrating repeatedly since the crisis began turned out in what was described as one of the largest public gatherings in the city’s recent history.

Crowds chanted ‘A united Ceuta will never be defeated’, ‘Ceuta is not for sale, Ceuta will be defended’ and ‘Ceuta is Spain’, while demanding urgent action to restore normal life in the territory.

Ceuta’s regional president, Juan Jesús Vivas, was applauded as he told the crowd: ‘Today the recovery begins, this force is unstoppable.’

Speaking separately during the institutional ceremony marking Ceuta Day, Vivas delivered an even more forceful assessment of what had happened at the end of July.

‘What happened to us was not a migratory crisis,’ he said. ‘What happened was the violation of Spain’s territorial integrity.’

Vivas, a member of the PP, has repeatedly called for the Spanish government to reinforce the border rather than relying primarily on Moroccan cooperation to control it.

‘If we don’t do this, there will always be someone tempted to use migration as a tool for political ends,’ he said.

He has also pledged to continue seeking the ‘truth’ about the events that triggered the unprecedented influx.

Madrid protest turns into fierce attack on Sánchez

In Madrid, the FEMP rally at Cibeles rapidly became as much a protest against the national government as a demonstration of solidarity with Ceuta.

Placards included messages such as ‘No to the invasion, defend Ceuta, defend Spain’, while protesters shouted ‘Pedro Sánchez, resign’, ‘Pedro Sánchez, to prison’ and ‘Invaders – go home’. 

PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Vox leader Santiago Abascal attended, alongside Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso and the capital’s mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida. ALSO READ: Opposition steps up pressure on Ayuso government over €6.3 million penthouse purchase.

Martínez-Almeida read a manifesto defending Ceuta’s status as Spanish territory and Spain’s territorial integrity.

Feijóo thanked demonstrators for their ‘solidarity, unity and dignity’ and accused the government of being ‘closer to Morocco than to Spain’.

Abascal went considerably further, describing Sánchez as a ‘dangerous psychopath’ who had ‘betrayed’ and ‘abandoned’ the people of Ceuta.

Both opposition leaders accused the prime minister of lying to the Spanish public over the crisis.

The political character of the demonstrations has been strongly criticised by the government. Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres said the rallies were not genuinely about supporting the autonomous city.

‘This is not to show support for the city of Ceuta or its residents; it is to attack the government of Spain,’ he said.

The government has rejected accusations that it has abandoned Ceuta and this week allocated €309 million in assistance for the territory, including funding for social services, migrant accommodation, the local economy and security.

Clashes and rival protests in Madrid

Away from the main Cibeles demonstration, Madrid saw two further protests reflecting the increasingly polarised political atmosphere surrounding the crisis.

A demonstration outside the Spanish Congress under the slogan ‘Ceuta unites us’ had been organised by people from Ceuta living in Madrid. Far-right groups, including Núcleo Nacional, also attended, although Ceuta residents taking part sought to distance themselves from them.

Some far-right demonstrators shouted racist slogans including ‘Muslim if you don’t jump’ and ‘Spain is Christian, not Muslim’, as well as demands for police vehicles to be sent to the border.

The demonstration ended in clashes with police after objects were thrown at officers. Riot-control equipment was deployed, four people – including two minors – were arrested and four police officers were injured.

Elsewhere in central Madrid, an anti-racism and anti-fascist demonstration was held in Plaza de Callao under the slogan ‘Let’s stop racism’.

The rally, supported by left-wing parties including Podemos and Izquierda Unida, attracted protesters carrying anti-Nazi banners. MEP Irene Montero criticised the Spanish government’s support for Morocco and stressed that the migrants living in extremely poor conditions on a beach in Ceuta ‘are human beings’.

Tensions increased in central Madrid later in the evening as groups of protesters dispersed through surrounding streets. Police interventions were also reported around Cibeles.

Police report increases pressure over Morocco’s role

The demonstrations took place against the backdrop of a fresh political dispute over whether Moroccan authorities played an active role in facilitating the July border breach.

A Spanish National Police report has raised questions about the involvement of Moroccan gendarmes and plain-clothes officers in directing or facilitating the mass movement towards Ceuta.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska subsequently demanded an explanation from National Police director Francisco Pardo. Pardo told him that the report did not conclude that Morocco had planned the mass influx. ALSO READ: Spain’s police chief says Ceuta report does not attribute ‘planning or execution’ of migrant crisis to Morocco.

The PP has nevertheless renewed its demands for government resignations, accusing the Sánchez administration of concealing evidence about Morocco’s role.

The issue strikes at the heart of the government’s explanation of the crisis.

Sánchez has repeatedly defended the Moroccan authorities, arguing that they acted quickly to help return the majority of migrants after the border was breached. ALSO READ: Morocco stops new mass attempt to reach Ceuta as almost 300 migrants detained.

‘There is no information from any of our intelligence services that points to the participation of Moroccan authorities,’ Sánchez said earlier this week. ALSO READ: Spanish PM backs Morocco over Ceuta migrant crisis as King Felipe visit is announced.

The prime minister has instead argued that a misinterpretation of a Supreme Court ruling, combined with misinformation circulating on social media, helped trigger the rush towards the border.

He has also accused social media accounts linked to Russia and Israel, as well as right-wing groups, of exploiting and amplifying disinformation surrounding the Ceuta crisis after the mass crossings took place.

Thousands of migrants remain stranded

While the political argument has escalated, conditions inside Ceuta remain far from normal.

Thousands of migrants are still awaiting decisions about their future, with some – including unaccompanied minors – sleeping outside or living on a beach while authorities attempt to register, accommodate or return those eligible for repatriation to Morocco.

The continuing presence of thousands of migrants and the uncertainty surrounding their future have fuelled frustration among Ceuta residents, while also raising humanitarian concerns over the treatment and accommodation of those who remain. ALSO READ: Tensions erupt in Ceuta as protesters block food aid to migrants and government appeals for calm.