Thousands protest in Ceuta calling for Madrid's help and tighter border controls
Residents demanded more help from Madrid and stronger controls on the border after a large influx of migrants at the end of July.
Thousands of residents of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta protested on the streets, urging greater assistance from Madrid and tighter border controls with Morocco after more than 70,000 migrants entered the city at the end of July, most of whom returned to Morocco shortly afterward.
The demonstration took place on Constitution Square, decorated with Spanish and Ceuta flags, and participants shouted slogans, including "Ceuta is not for sale. Ceuta is Spain" and "I am Spanish."
Organisers said the rally attracted more than 10,000 people, while the Spanish National Police put the figure at just over 5,000.
Local faith leaders mobilise
The protest, held late on Saturday night, was organised by representatives of the four religious communities in Ceuta – the Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Hindu communities – who urged authorities to take measures to address the migration crisis.
Organisers appealed to the Spanish government for an "urgent response", arguing that "Ceuta cannot cope alone with a situation that far exceeds its capacities and which affects all of Spain and Europe." In a manifesto read at the gathering they demanded "answers" to the crisis, called for "solidarity" from the rest of Spanish society and asked residents to maintain "calm and unity."
Although most of those who entered Ceuta at the end of July returned to Morocco, several thousand migrants remain in the enclave, including a significant number of minors. Residents are demanding stricter border controls and a solution for migrants still in the city without regular status.
Photo: press material from the event
