Thousands protest in Spain over mass migrant influx in Ceuta

Thousands of people took to the streets across Spain on Wednesday including the coastal city of Ceuta to protest the government's handling of a mass influx of migrants into the Spanish exclave on the North African coast. Roughly 50,000 protesters gathered in Madrid alone, according to Al Jazeera.

In Ceuta, residents draped Spanish and city flags over their shoulders as demonstrations continued amid growing tensions over the migrants who remain in the territory. The protests were organised by city councils in areas where Spain's conservative Partido Popular (PP) and far-right Vox either govern or have significant support. Demonstrators called for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to resign, while some demanded that migrants be returned to their countries of origin or redistributed across Spain.

The protests follow the mass crossing of migrants from Morocco into Ceuta on July 30 and 31. According to the BBC, least 72,000 migrants crossed into the Spanish territory during the two days, although most have since returned to Africa. The surge was deadly, with at least 80 people reported to have died.

The Spanish government estimates that around 5,000 people remain in Ceuta, including about 1,200 minors, although local figures put the number higher. Some reportedly stay in makeshift camps, while others have been scattered across the city's streets and beaches. The influx has become a political crisis for PM Sánchez, with opposition parties accusing him of abandoning Ceuta's residents. The government, meanwhile, has accused right-wing parties of exploiting the situation.

According to the BBC, a police report issued on Wednesday said Moroccan security forces had shown “total permissiveness” during the unprecedented influx. Sánchez has instead blamed trafficking gangs and online misinformation for encouraging people to attempt the journey. Morocco has denied orchestrating or being involved in the mass crossing.

Social media also played a role in encouraging the crossings. According to the BBC, numerous posts circulated in August portraying the border fence between Morocco and Ceuta as safe and easy to cross, despite at several dying while attempting to swim around the border fence, according to figures from Ceuta's mayor. Morocco has long claimed Ceuta, along with the neighbouring Spanish autonomous city of Melilla. The two territories have consequently remained flashpoints in diplomatic relations between Spain and Morocco.