Tens of Thousands Rally in Spain Amid Growing Ceuta Border Crisis
The city of Ceuta, a small Spanish territory on the northern African coast, typically marks its September 2 annual holiday with little attention from the mainland. This year was different, as Ceuta has become the center of Spain’s worst border crisis in living memory.
Rather than festivities, tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Spain on Wednesday to protest the ongoing humanitarian situation in Ceuta, demanding solutions and directing blame at Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez over his government’s handling of the crisis. Authorities in Madrid said roughly 50,000 protesters turned out in the capital alone. After the demonstration ended, an Associated Press journalist reported hearing shots and explosions, and Spanish newspaper El País reported that police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse crowds. Significant turnouts were also reported in Barcelona, Valencia, and Seville.
Demonstrators waved Spanish flags and chanted slogans including “A united Ceuta will never be defeated” and “Sánchez to prison,” alongside chants directed at the thousands of migrants still present in the city.
The crisis traces back to late July, when an estimated 72,000 people swam, climbed, or rushed across the border into the small Spanish territory neighboring Morocco, with at least 90 people dying in the attempt to reach Europe. While most migrants were quickly returned or redirected across the border, around 5,000 people, including 1,200 minors, remain in Ceuta weeks later, according to national government figures — though local authorities cite a higher number. Questions remain over what triggered the mass crossing, which the government attributes in part to an online campaign that spread across social media.
The sudden arrival of tens of thousands of migrants placed enormous strain on Ceuta, a city with a population of roughly 84,000, and stirred frustration among many residents. Local officials say Spain’s central government failed to act on warning signs before the border was breached. “What happened to us was not a migratory crisis,” said Juan Jesús Vivas, Ceuta’s regional leader, during an official ceremony marking the holiday. “What happened was the violation of Spain’s territorial integrity.”
Vivas belongs to Spain’s conservative Popular Party, which — alongside the far-right Vox party — has seized on the Ceuta crisis as a central issue in its broader political effort to unseat Spain’s left-wing national government.
Wednesday’s protests, held in Madrid and more than 200 other cities and towns, were officially organized by the nonpartisan Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, though they were actively promoted by the Popular Party and Vox, both of which have taken firm stances against irregular migration. Spain’s minister of territorial policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, told Spanish National Radio that the protests were politically motivated. “This is not to show support for the city of Ceuta or its residents; it is to attack the government of Spain,” Torres said.
The government has pushed back against claims it has neglected Ceuta, announcing this week that it would allocate 309 million euros ($357 million) to support the city’s social services, with particular focus on housing migrants, strengthening the local economy, and improving security.
Questions have also emerged over whether Morocco’s government could have done more to prevent the border breach. Sánchez has consistently defended Moroccan authorities, crediting them with quickly helping return most migrants. On Monday, he alleged — without providing evidence — that other countries had amplified disinformation tied to the crisis. “There is no information from any of our intelligence services that points to the participation of Moroccan authorities,” Sánchez told Cadena Ser radio.
Sánchez, who faces an election next year, said a misinterpretation of a Supreme Court ruling combined with disinformation spread on social media encouraged people to rush the border. He has further accused social media accounts linked to Russia, Israel, and right-wing groups of exploiting and amplifying the crisis following the initial breach on July 30 and 31. Both Russia and Israel have denied these claims. “Without facts, without materials backed up by numbers, dates, names, there is simply nothing to talk about,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. Sánchez’s government has not provided specific examples of alleged disinformation campaigns, instead pointing to internal reports from its Foreign Affairs Ministry and the European Commission’s diplomatic service.
Conditions in Ceuta remain difficult more than a month after the crisis began. Many migrants, including unaccompanied minors, continue sleeping in the streets or camping on a beach, despite ongoing efforts by authorities to shelter, register, and deport those eligible back to Morocco. “We’re suffering and we want to get to Europe or find a solution right now. Here, we’re all sleeping on the beach and having a really hard time,” Moroccan migrant Nebil Tazi told the Associated Press. “We’ve been waiting for a month, waiting for a solution here, but there isn’t one.”
Vivas said the priority now should be restoring normal life in the autonomous city, while vowing to continue seeking clarity on what caused the crisis. He urged Spain’s central government to strengthen and reinforce the border with Morocco directly, rather than relying solely on cooperation with its neighbor. “If we don’t do this, there will always be someone tempted to use migration as a tool for political ends,” Vivas said.
In a recorded video message released Wednesday, Sánchez said his government was directing all available resources toward helping Ceuta’s residents return to a sense of calm.
The Ceuta holiday commemorates September 2, 1415, marking the arrival of the first Portuguese governor weeks after Portuguese soldiers claimed the territory, which later passed into Spanish control in 1580. The city typically observes the day with an official ceremony, musical performances, and cultural programming.
Also Read:
Saudi Water Industry Gets Major Boost From Seven New Plants
UN Warns of Serious Violations Amid Gaza and West Bank Crisis
