Spain Sees Massive Protests Over Migrant Crisis in Ceuta

Tens of thousands marched across Spain, protesting the government’s handling of recent mass migrant crossings. Officials reported that 50,000 protestors gathered in Madrid, expressing anger toward Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez over the ongoing crisis in Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa.

Violence erupted after the demonstrations ended, with gunshots and explosions heard throughout Wednesday night. Protestors held signs with messages like, “A united Ceuta will never be defeated,” “Sánchez to prison,” and “Invaders — go home!”

Spain faces challenges following the surge of over 70,000 migrants crossing from Morocco in late July. Many of these individuals remain in Spain. Ceuta’s regional leader, Juan Jesús Vivas, remarked, “What happened to us was not a migratory crisis. What happened was the violation of Spain’s territorial integrity.”

Recently, Ceuta residents dismantled makeshift migrant shelters in protest. Demonstrators carrying Spanish flags targeted beachside camps, destroying and setting fire to shelters. Police intervened to separate protestors and migrants, as reported by RTVE and EFE.

Prime Minister Sánchez accused Russia and Israel of exacerbating the migrant crisis through social media misinformation, attributing the surge to misunderstandings of a Spanish Supreme Court ruling. He cited research by the European External Action Service suggesting the spread of disinformation involved Russian, Israeli, and far-right networks.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova dismissed these claims, demanding evidence. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar labeled Sánchez’s remarks “lying shamelessly” and alleged they served to distract from domestic policy shortcomings.