CEUTA, Spain – Approximately 2,000 people took to the streets of Ceuta on Tuesday, 26 days after the mass arrival of illegal migrants to the city, expressing their rejection of the permanence and relocation of irregular migrants in various facilities across the autonomous city. The protest began outside the Fiscer barracks as a show of support for local residents concerned about the prospect of the military compound being used to house migrants, but the gathering swelled and eventually moved towards the city centre where minister Ángel Víctor Torres and government delegate Miguel Ángel Pérez were located.
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A portion of the demonstrators gathered outside the hotel where the two officials were dining and attempted to enter the establishment, though security prevented their access, with chants including “Ceuta is not a CETI” and “Invaders, expulsion” heard during the protest as pressure mounted around the building. Torres had arrived in Ceuta that same Tuesday to assume command of the new Unified Command, with responsibilities including coordinating deployed resources, determining priorities, and integrating humanitarian, border, administrative, care, and security operations related to the crisis.
The minister also had to manage logistical support that could be enabled in facilities elsewhere in Spain, keep the National Security Council informed, and, if deemed necessary, process requests for international aid. In response to the protest, Torres and the government delegate reportedly left the hotel through a rear exit in an official vehicle.
The mobilisation did not end there, as hundreds of participants continued through various streets of central Ceuta, where moments of tension occurred when they encountered groups of young Moroccans, some of whom reportedly responded with laughter while being verbally confronted by the protesters. The improvised march continued towards Loma Colmenar, one of the areas used to relocate foreign minors who had previously remained in the El Trampolín beach settlements, with participants intending to express their opposition to the continued housing of migrants there.
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The protest came after nearly four weeks of migration influx and demonstrated the growing discontent among a portion of Ceuta’s population with the management of the crisis by the authorities. The first day of the Unified Command was marked by the mobilisation of approximately 2,000 people and direct protests against central government representatives, as residents voiced their demands for action to restore order and security to the city. The demonstration also forced authorities to reconsider plans to use municipal sports facilities to house the arrivals, effectively halting the initiative in response to public pressure.
