Sanchez: Ceuta mass entry a ‘hybrid attack’, denies Moroccan ‘blackmail’
MADRID, Spain – Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has elevated the diagnosis of the Ceuta crisis, now assuming that the mass entry of migrants from Morocco can be classified as a hybrid attack, though he stopped short of identifying who would be behind such an action. Until now, the head of government had spoken of a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity but had never used the term attack, amid growing pressure on Moncloa to clarify Morocco’s role in the events. In an interview on TVE’s Mañaneros, Sánchez also insisted that his executive does not accept any blackmail and is not concealing information regarding Rabat, a charge levelled by both the opposition and parliamentary partners, following the National High Court’s decision to open an investigation after finding indications of organised action from Morocco that could have gravely attacked Spain’s territorial integrity.
National High Court Sees Ceuta Crisis As ‘attack On Territorial Integrity’ Of Spain
To justify his argument that the government could not have foreseen the mass entry of migrants at the end of July, Sánchez insisted that 40 situation reports published on Wednesday pointed to a slight peak in swim crossings in the preceding days, but in any case spoke of hundreds of people, not 70,000. A mass entry of so many migrants was not foreseen, he concluded. Sánchez also sought to downplay internal noise surrounding Defence Minister Margarita Robles after her meeting on Monday with King Felipe VI and senior military commanders to analyse the situation in Ceuta, framing the encounter as normal and stating that such meetings occur on a recurrent basis. Asked whether the image could be interpreted as a gesture of royal backing for Robles, he limited himself to describing it as an opportune, normal photo and admitted that, given the political moment, it might provoke some type of reading, though he insisted it was something normal and routine.
Regarding the announced royal visit to Ceuta, Sánchez stated that the government and the Royal Household would communicate it jointly and that it would take place in the coming days. The prime minister defended that the citizens of Ceuta now need the embrace and affection of all institutions and considered it more than justified and necessary for the King to visit both Ceuta and Melilla, stressing that the visit will happen and that in Ceuta, in particular, it is more necessary than ever. Sánchez also downplayed the criticisms levelled by Transport Minister Óscar Puente and his party against Judge María Tardón after she opened an investigation into indications of organised action from Morocco, noting that she was a former PP councillor but valuing that prior political commitment is not incompatible with the exercise of judicial function, something that his party had indeed reproached her for.
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On this point, he insisted that the government is acting with maximum transparency and has nothing to hide while seeking to clarify what happened during those days in Morocco. In contrast to what he described as hyperbole in public debate, the media and the right, he called for acting on evidence, not on indications, with responsibility and proportionality, though he stressed that this does not prevent responding forcefully or recognising the scale of the humanitarian crisis. He identified as a priority the care and identification of minors who arrived in Ceuta and explained that each case is being studied to determine whether reunification in Morocco or continued stay in Spain is appropriate. Sánchez did not rule out any option for the remaining migrants, including relocation among autonomous communities, and called on the Popular Party to show responsibility and solidarity and, beyond its criticisms of the government, to lend a hand wherever it has competencies.
