Mass protests across Spain over Ceuta migrant crisis response

Thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Spain on Wednesday to protest the government's handling of the ongoing migration crisis in Ceuta, the Spanish exclave on the North African coast. Opposition parties organised the rallies, with the conservative Partido Popular and the far-right Vox party marshalling crowds in Madrid, where more than 50,000 demonstrators gathered, according to official figures.

Background: the Ceuta crisis

On July 30 and 31, approximately 72,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta in what was described as an unprecedented border surge. While the majority of migrants have since returned, as many as 5,000 remain in makeshift camps and scattered across the exclave's streets and beaches, triggering near-daily protests by local residents. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez initially insisted Morocco was not responsible for the mass crossing, blaming trafficking networks and online misinformation instead.

Police report points to Moroccan permissiveness

A Spanish police report submitted this week to the National Court concluded that Moroccan security forces showed "total permissiveness" during the crossing. The report noted that Morocco's border deployment was "clearly smaller than usual" and cited testimonies from migrants who described the Moroccan side's response as passive. However, the report stopped short of formally accusing Morocco of orchestrating the influx. Morocco has consistently denied any involvement.

Political confrontation

PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo addressed the Madrid rally, accusing the government of complicity: "A Spanish city has been invaded, occupied and, unfortunately, this happened with the knowledge of the Government of Spain." Vox leader Santiago Abascal described Sánchez as acting "like a lackey of the Moroccan regime." Demonstrators across Spain called for migrants to be deported or redistributed across the country, and chanted slogans demanding Sánchez step down. The government countered that right-wing parties were exploiting the crisis for political gain.