Ceuta residents protest as border crisis overshadows city's holiday
Thousands in Ceuta protested on its official holiday, denouncing the government's handling of a border crisis that left thousands of migrants in the city.
The Spanish enclave of Ceuta, on the northern coast of Africa, saw its annual official holiday on September 2 transformed into a massive protest. Thousands of residents took to the streets, waving Spanish flags and chanting slogans, as the city remains at the centre of Spain's most severe border crisis in recent memory.
Demonstrators voiced their frustration over the situation, with chants including "Ceuta united will never be defeated" and "Sánchez to prison." Some protesters directed anger at the migrants still present, shouting "Invaders — go home!"
Residents expressed a sense of abandonment and a desire to defend the city's Spanish identity. José Maria Guerrero, a 63-year-old resident, said they were fighting for Ceuta and for peace, so that residents do not have to live in fear of being invaded. Another protester, Fuensanta Perez, 55, was critical of the national leadership, calling the prime minister "useless" and accusing him of lying.
However, some participants stressed unity across different backgrounds. Sluem Ben Abraham, a 60-year-old military officer, said the people of Ceuta are united regardless of race or ethnicity, and that this unity reflects the strength of Spain as a whole.
The protests were not confined to Ceuta. Tens of thousands of people demonstrated across Spain on Wednesday, with authorities in Madrid reporting around 50,000 attendees, to demand solutions to the humanitarian crisis.
The unrest stems from a mass border crossing in late July, when an estimated 72,000 people attempted to enter the territory from Morocco, with at least 90 dying in the effort. While many were quickly returned, roughly 5,000 migrants, including 1,200 minors, remain in Ceuta weeks later, straining the resources of a city with a population of about 84,000.
Local authorities have stated that Spain's central government ignored warning signs before the border was breached. The government attributes the mass crossing to a campaign on social media.