Protests over security in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta escalated into clashes between residents and law enforcement on Thursday, a month after a large influx of migrants from Morocco.
Police confronted protesters at a beach after demonstrators entered the area where migrants had been staying, setting some belongings ablaze during the unrest, footage broadcast on Spanish public television showed.
Earlier that day, dozens of demonstrators organized a sit‑in to temporarily block Red Cross vehicles from delivering food to hundreds of migrants camped on the beach.
Many protesters, waving Spanish flags, shouted slogans such as “They should leave” and “Out with the Red Cross” before being dispersed by police.
The clashes followed a night when police fired tear gas to keep protesters and migrants from confronting each other on the beach.
Residents of Ceuta, a territory of just 18 km², have staged regular protests over security and hygiene concerns linked to the influx.
Tensions escalated after a military vehicle carrying four soldiers was ambushed early Thursday by about 70 migrants, who attacked it with stones and other objects, according to a Ceuta police spokesperson speaking to AFP.
The soldiers fled the scene and requested police assistance. Authorities arrested 12 migrants, all Moroccan, the spokesperson added.
One soldier sustained minor injuries after being hit by a stone. The motive for the attack remains unclear.
“The tension in Ceuta is extremely high” due to a perceived lack of government response, leaving residents “feeling abandoned,” said Kissy Chandiramani, the city’s finance councillor, in an interview with radio SER.
She also urged calm, emphasizing that citizens have the right to protest while cautioning that escalating hostility would not solve the crisis.
Working “without rest”
Over 70 000 migrants flooded into Ceuta in late July, crossing by swimming or on foot from neighboring Morocco in a chaotic wave that resulted in numerous deaths and reignited EU‑wide tensions over migration.
While most of them were returned to Morocco within hours, several thousand still remain in the territory, many living on the streets without shelter.
Spain’s left‑leaning government estimates the number of remaining migrants at 3,500‑7,000, whereas Ceuta’s right‑wing authorities claim it exceeds 10,000.
Justice Minister Félix Bolanos urged calm, telling parliamentarians in Madrid that the authorities were working “without rest” to restore order to the enclave.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has faced growing criticism from Ceuta’s local leaders and residents, who accuse Madrid of a sluggish response to the mass arrival.
In recent days, the government has expanded shelter capacity for migrants and accelerated procedures to identify those eligible for return to Morocco.
“Worsening every day”
The Interior Ministry announced on Thursday that it would dispatch extra staff to assist with migrant identification, and the government approved €25 million in additional funding for the care of unaccompanied minors, who have special legal safeguards.
To accelerate the response, Spain’s Cabinet established a “single command” for Ceuta on Tuesday, to be headed by Minister of Territorial Policy Ángel Víctor Torres.
The crisis has also deepened Spain’s political divisions ahead of a general election next year, with conservative and far‑right opposition parties demanding the immediate return of all migrants.
The government, however, has warned that each individual must be screened to decide whether they qualify for asylum or are subject to deportation, noting that thousands of minors need special protection.
Sánchez has also been criticized for proceeding with his summer vacation while the crisis unfolded and only convening his National Security Council after his return earlier this week.
“The people of Ceuta have been dealing with this alone for a month,” wrote the leader of the main opposition Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, on X on Thursday.
“Nothing was done to prevent the invasion… and nothing is being done to halt the public‑order crisis that is getting worse each day,” he added.