Thousands of residents of Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta took to the streets on Wednesday to protest the government’s handling of a migration crisis that followed a deadly border surge in July.
The demonstrations coincided with Ceuta Day, with protesters waving Spanish flags, blowing whistles and chanting, “Ceuta is not for sale, Ceuta must be defended.”
The protests came nearly five weeks after at least 72,000 people crossed from Morocco into the enclave. More than 10,000 migrants, including unaccompanied minors, are still staying in makeshift camps or scattered across streets and beaches, according to Ceuta authorities.
The continued presence of migrants has fuelled near-daily protests, with residents calling on the government to return those without the right to remain to their countries of origin or relocate them to other parts of Spain.
“The response has been inadequate, late and, to top it all, has involved a complete dereliction of duty,” said David Hernandez, a 45-year-old teacher.
Recent tensions have included sporadic attacks on a makeshift migrant camp at El Trampolin beach, while Moroccan nationals have been arrested after stones and bottles were thrown at army patrols.
Similar demonstrations took place in cities including Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao.
The protests were backed by the FEMP federation of municipalities, which is dominated by Spain’s opposition conservative People’s Party (PP).
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s left-wing government has rejected the initiative, accusing the opposition of using the crisis for political gain.
“This is not about defending Ceuta and the Ceutans, it is about attacking the government,” Territorial Policy Minister Angel Victor Torres told Spanish broadcaster RNE.
Madrid has increased capacity at temporary accommodation centres to more than 3,400 places, up from around 500, and deployed more than 1,600 police officers.
But local officials and charities say the measures are still not enough to deal with the situation.
“The central government needs to provide funds and the local government needs to provide space,” said Juan Miguel Morales, director of the Sur Acoge charity. “The response has lacked agility: that much is clear.”
Georgia and Uzbekistan are aiming to nearly quadruple annual trade to $1 billion, up from $267.6 million in 2025, as the two countries seek to stre...
Iran has warned against the military use of Starlink, saying it has developed domestic technology capable of countering cyber threats linked to the...
Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of blaming Kabul for its domestic political and security problems, as Islamabad repeated claims that militants are...
One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a fresh attack on Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen's Houthis killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow his country to hold presidential elections, saying it wanted an overall peace deal instead.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
An explosion and fire have been reported at a major underground gas pipeline in Russia’s Penza region on 13 October, according to UA News, as cited by Azerbaijan’s APA news agency. The reports have not been independently verified.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined high school students protesting outside a school in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis on Tuesday, as a wave of student demonstrations continues across France.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a newly opened defence museum displaying weapons developed under his leadership, including an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.
Southeast Asian foreign ministers are set to discuss measures to tackle transboundary haze during preparatory meetings ahead of the ASEAN summit in November, as forest and land fires in Indonesia continue to affect air quality across the region, the Philippines said on Tuesday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment