Thousands protest in Spain over Ceuta migrant influx
Around 50,000 demonstrators gathered in Madrid and other cities to denounce Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s handling of the July surge of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
Protests erupted across Spain on Wednesday, with police estimating about 50,000 participants in Madrid alone. Demonstrators carried signs demanding the resignation or imprisonment of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and condemning the presence of migrants who crossed from Morocco into the North African Spanish enclave of Ceuta in late July.
The influx, which authorities say involved more than 70,000 people, has left thousands of migrants still in Spanish territory and sparked violent clashes, including reports of gunshots and explosions after the main demonstrations ended.
Ceuta’s regional leader Juan Jesús Vivas described the event as a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity rather than a migration issue. Local residents have also dismantled makeshift shelters erected for the newcomers, and some protesters set fire to structures near the beach.
Sánchez attributed the surge to disinformation campaigns, citing research by the European External Action Service that implicated Russian and Israeli networks, as well as far-right groups, in spreading false narratives about the border crossing. He told radio station SER that the misinformation contributed to the crisis.
Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that without verifiable data, the discussion lacks substance, while Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Sánchez of “lying shamelessly” and diverting attention from domestic issues.