Key moments
- Vox calls for militarization of the border in Ceuta and denounces cases of rape as crimes against humanity
- The PP denounces the Government’s “lack of foresight and coordination” and states that Marlaska is “the greyhound of Ceuta”
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has defended that the Government is working so that migrants “who do not meet the conditions to stay” return to Morocco, while “international protection” will be given to those who request it and meet the asylum requirements. The rest will be deported following legal procedures, he detailed. Earlier, he called for calm and an end to violence after the incidents that have taken place these days in Ceuta and condemned the PP and Vox for “inciting hatred.” For its part, the PP has called for an end to the violence, which it sees as “very justified,” because it “gives wings to those who seek to portray the invaders as victims.” Nearly a month after the massive arrival of migrants, several thousand remain in the city, which experiences almost daily protests from residents. Episodes of violence have occurred, such as last night’s assault on the migrants’ camp on Benítez beach or the ambush of soldiers the night before. The Foreign Minister and the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration also appear before Congress this Friday.
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Marlaska stands alone in his defense of Morocco’s “collaboration” in the Ceuta crisis
Against the staunch defense made by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, of Morocco’s collaboration in the migration crisis, doubts and open criticisms have arisen regarding Rabat’s role from the PP, Vox, but also from parliamentary allies supporting the Government, including the Government’s own minority partner, Sumar. Marlaska insisted in his first intervention, as he had done several times in recent weeks, on praising the “close collaboration” of Morocco, which he described as “sustained and effective over the years.” A “coordination” that, according to the minister, allowed the “return” within 48 hours after the massive entry of much of the 72,000 irregular migrants. “At the political level, I am in permanent contact with my Moroccan counterpart [Abdelouafi Laftit]. And operationally, the police authorities of both countries work jointly in the fight against irregular migration and human trafficking,” he described.
Opposing him were the PP and Vox, who insist on speaking of “invasion” and, in the case of the party led by Santiago Abascal, have even spoken of a “hybrid act of war orchestrated by Morocco.” ERC also criticized Marlaska’s view of Rabat’s position. “Stop talking about Morocco’s collaboration. It’s ridiculous, grotesque, absurd,” said its spokesperson, Francesc-Marc Álvaro. Also harsh was the intervention of Enrique Santiago, spokesperson for Sumar, who considered what happened on July 30 and 31 a maneuver of “destabilization with geopolitical intentions” involving not only Morocco — which he highlighted had refused to even receive the bodies recovered from the massive jump in Spanish waters — but also the US and Israel. “No Spanish authority can say that Morocco is collaborating,” Santiago emphasized. Jon Iñarritu, from EH Bildu, also said it “surprises” that ministers agree in defending Morocco.
Enrique Santiago (Sumar): “No Spanish authority can continue saying that Morocco is collaborating”
The Secretary General of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) and Sumar deputy, Enrique Santiago, has demanded “an end to the violence” in Ceuta and “punishment for those responsible and the instigators” of the recent escalation of violence in the autonomous city. “Violent groups have appeared hunting foreigners,” Santiago described, considering that “Spain has suffered an attack using vulnerable people.” “A massive arrival of people mixing migratory flows and harmful border shielding and outsourcing policies with a destabilization operation with clear political and geostrategic intentions,” he added before criticizing talk of collaboration with Morocco. “No Spanish authority can continue saying that Morocco is collaborating because it has not done what it should,” said the Sumar deputy, who then criticized the “lack of solidarity with Spain from most EU countries.”
“Morocco’s attitude has shown the failure of the European Union’s outsourcing policies,” he stated before criticizing the Government’s management. “It took too long to react, there was a lack of clear information about what was going to happen, it took time to assess the severity. The necessary resources to address this humanitarian emergency were not organized quickly enough.” “If the delay sought the voluntary return of those remaining in Ceuta, that was a big mistake. Those who could return did so. The vast majority of those who remained have nowhere to return,” he said before indicating that the “priority measure to fix this crisis” is the transfer to the Peninsula of those remaining in Ceuta. “Those who cannot be expelled or returned must be taken out of Ceuta. It is the only way to normalize the situation in Ceuta and prevent the spread of hate and racist discourse, to prevent the coexistence between the different historical communities living in Ceuta from deteriorating, which is what is happening,” he concluded.
Vox calls for militarization of the border in Ceuta and denounces cases of rape as crimes against humanity
Vox deputy Ignacio Gil Lázaro has announced that his party has filed a complaint with the Cádiz Prosecutor’s Office for a “crime against humanity” due to cases of rape “of women and children” that they claim have occurred these days in the city, acts they consider “an act of sexual terror and domination of a vulnerable part of the population.” Likewise, in a fiery speech, he demanded the Government “permanent militarization of the border, closure of the border crossing, and suspension of the agreement between the EU and Morocco.” He reiterated that the “expulsion” of all who crossed the border on July 30 and 31 and that minors be “returned to their parents or Moroccan guardianship institutions” and not “distributed across the Peninsula for the benefit of certain NGOs that receive million-dollar subsidies.”
The PP denounces the Government’s “lack of foresight and coordination” and states that Marlaska is “the greyhound of Ceuta”
PP deputy Ana Vázquez has criticized the Government’s management of the migration crisis in Ceuta and denounced that no resident of the autonomous city “can live normally today.” “29 days later, they remain abandoned by the Government of Spain,” she said before talking about the lack of an “adequate” response: “There was a lack of foresight, a lack of coordination, and the response is shameful,” Vázquez expressed before censuring the Interior Ministry for delaying reinforcements. “The people of Ceuta are abandoned. And what does your Minister of the Interior offer them? Promises that he will stay in Ceuta until normality returns. Broken promises,” she exclaimed. “Within 24 hours you fled Ceuta as quickly as Sánchez fled Paiporta. You are the greyhound of Ceuta,” the popular deputy said, continuing her criticism of the minister accusing him of having spoken of “normality”: “He said he had resolved the crisis alone and with Morocco’s help in 48 hours. The images of Ceuta’s reality contradicted the propaganda, Mr. Marlaska. Is it normal for you that more than 10,000 migrants still wander aimlessly through the streets?” she said.
“There can be no political impunity for an attack on territorial integrity, an attack on national sovereignty, the most serious in 50 years,” Vázquez continued, insisting that “Ceuta is terrified and plunged into chaos” and blaming the Executive, which in her opinion is “irresponsible and absent.” “If the government knew nothing, it is incompetent, and if it had information, it is negligent,” she said before calling for Grande-Marlaska’s resignation.
Feijóo will participate in a rally next Wednesday in Madrid for the Ceuta crisis
The leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, will participate on September 2 in a rally in front of Madrid City Hall for the Ceuta crisis, according to PP sources. The PP has promoted, through the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), rallies in front of town halls on September 2 “in defense of Spain’s borders in general and the city of Ceuta and its residents in particular,” in which all members of the PP’s national leadership will actively participate. Feijóo, according to sources from Génova, will attend the rally in Madrid.
Marlaska avoids self-criticism and accuses PP and Vox of “inciting hatred” in Ceuta
Criticism of the opposition, no acknowledgment of mistakes, and a call for calm after Thursday’s disturbances in Ceuta. In his first intervention in Congress on the migration crisis, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, repeated much of the information he has already provided in previous public appearances about his department’s deployment and avoided referring to his clash with the Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, regarding the alleged prior alert transmitted by the National Intelligence Center (CNI) about a massive entry of irregular migrants on July 30 and 31. He also made no criticism of his department’s or the Executive’s actions, although he admitted that “necessary lessons must be learned” to “prevent and face” in the future a situation like the one experienced in the autonomous city, which he described as “one of the greatest recent challenges in border and migration management faced by our country.” To this end, he announced improvements to the fence facilities and the use of new means, such as more boats and the use of underwater drones and aerial surveillance.
Marlaska did refer to the increase in incidents in Ceuta in recent hours, including attacks by groups of migrants on soldiers or residents assaulting camps set up on some of the city’s beaches, which he attributed to recent speeches from “the far right, and now also the right,” referring to the PP and Vox, whom he accused of “inciting hatred.” “We have heard speeches and statements in recent weeks that contribute to the stigmatization of migrants and fuel social division at a time when what is needed is responsibility, calm, and a sense of state,” he stressed after recalling the use of terms such as “invaders,” “criminals,” and “hunting immigrants.”
The PP condemns the “justified” violence in Ceuta for giving “wings to those who seek to portray the invaders as victims”
Ceuta’s PP deputy Javier Celaya Brey has called for calm among the autonomous city’s population after last night’s incidents, when a group tried to burn the migrants’ camp on Tarajal beach. However, he justified the recent episodes of violence against migrants or journalists due to the population’s “desperation and indignation” at the Government’s “inaction.” “After the recent events that, out of desperation and more than justified indignation of the people of Ceuta at the Government’s passivity, have led to anger, I want to call for calm,” he said at the start of his intervention in the Interior Committee of Congress, where the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande Marlaska, appears. “Anyone who thinks that violence, harassing journalists or blocking the Red Cross helps Ceuta is completely wrong,” he said, “it only gives wings to those who seek to portray the invaders as victims when the real victims are the people of Ceuta.” He also disputed the figures offered by Marlaska and said that almost 20,000 people “may remain” in the autonomous city.
The Minister of the Interior defends the “extraordinary measures” adopted in Ceuta to manage the crisis
Fernando Grande-Marlaska defended in his intervention in Congress the “extraordinary measures” adopted to manage the migration crisis in Ceuta. The Interior Minister indicated that since the beginning of the crisis, the response of the Spanish authorities has been clear. “Irregular entry into Ceuta does not generate automatic expectations of staying in our country,” he highlighted before recounting that there was an initial phase “focused on rescue” and that they continue “applying legal procedures to manage the return of those who do not meet the conditions to remain in our country” and, likewise, “guaranteeing access to international protection for those who request it and meet the requirements provided in our legal system, European regulations, and also our own international commitments.”
That is why the Government has “deployed extraordinary measures to speed up the processing of applications with full rigor and guarantees” through “strengthening the services for validating international protection files, holding successive extraordinary meetings of the Interministerial Commission on asylum and refuge, and promoting and monitoring the notification processes of final resolutions.” Marlaska indicated that for this task, 11 specialists from the Directorate General for International Protection were incorporated this Thursday. “Spain undoubtedly has the unbreakable duty to protect the integrity of our audience, our borders, and the security of our citizens and to maintain with it an unwavering commitment to human dignity and fundamental rights,” the minister concluded.
Marlaska defends the return of migrants “who do not meet the conditions to stay” and announces more triage
The Minister of the Interior has defended that all migrants remaining in Ceuta “must return” to Morocco “legally.” “We will continue enabling legal processes to manage the return of those who do not meet the conditions to stay,” the minister assured, then explaining that “international protection” will be given to those who request it and meet asylum requirements. The rest will be deported following legal procedures, he detailed. Marlaska also detailed that triage of migrants is already underway at the temporary center recently set up in the Tarajal industrial estate.
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Marlaska criticizes PP and Vox for their “discourses that fuel social division”
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande Marlaska, has criticized the speeches or statements of the “right and far right” that stigmatize migrants or “fuel social division” at a time when “what is needed is calm and a sense of state.” In his appearance before Congress, he reproached that the “far right and now also the right” speak of “invaders, criminals, call to hunt immigrants or propose deporting hospitalized people.” “All that is incompatible with democratic principles and respect for human dignity,” he said. “We are talking about men and women, also children and adolescents, some in a state of neglect, who must be treated with humanity and respect,” he added.
Marlaska highlights that “sustained and effective collaboration” with Morocco served for the “mass return” of people who had entered Ceuta
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, stated in the Congress of Deputies that the massive entry of citizens from Morocco into Ceuta on July 30 and 31 was “an attack on Spain’s territorial integrity” and that this event “cannot be compared to the usual irregular migratory flows.” “The very nature of the events makes it difficult to obtain an exact figure of the number of people who irregularly accessed national territory, but the most reasonable estimates place it at around 72,000,” Marlaska said, noting that “it is important to emphasize that within just 24 hours, most of these people voluntarily returned to Morocco.” In this regard, the Minister of the Interior highlighted “the collaboration with Morocco,” which he pointed out is “sustained and effective over the years” and served to facilitate the “mass return” of those who did not meet the conditions to remain in Spain and the European Union.
Marlaska calls for calm in Ceuta: “Violence is not the way to solve any problem”
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, began his intervention in the Interior Committee in Congress with a call for calm and an end to the escalation of violence against immigrants that has taken place these days in Ceuta. “I call for calm and an end to any kind of violence. Violence is not the way to solve any problem,” Marlaska said, denouncing “political exploitation” and misinformation that some have tried to stir up in the autonomous city to provoke “conflict between people.”
Marlaska continued his speech with a description of what happened on July 30 and 31, when about 70,000 people entered Ceuta irregularly. Entries stopped on August 1, according to the minister, who estimated that 5,000 migrants still remain in the autonomous city. The minister defended his management and detailed that the Interior Ministry increased maritime surveillance after the Supreme Court ruling that prevented applying border rejection mechanisms to migrants who entered by swimming.
Torres assures consensus with Ceuta on spaces to house migrants
The Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, expressed his desire that the central Government and Ceuta’s government reach consensus on new locations to house migrants still wandering the city after the massive entry on July 30 and 31. “If we want to normalize the situation, migrants must be in a space where triage can be done so they can return,” he said, expressing hope that Friday’s situation committee meeting will end with an agreement on spaces to concentrate migrants. “There is a regulated process for those who have not left, but there must be spaces; we cannot fail to agree on spaces,” he said. “I hope to leave the situation committee with consensus so that asylum seekers, minors, etc., can be registered,” he said.
Torres denounces “organized groups of hooded people” in Ceuta “who do not want to return to normality”
The Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, who acts as the sole commander of the crisis in Ceuta, condemned last night’s attacks on the migrants’ camp on Trampolín beach and assured that what happened “does not reflect the reality of the people” of the autonomous city, which “is a people of coexistence and pacifism.” “There are organized groups that do not want a return to normality. Hooded people with bars have been seen, who also attack Ceutans distributing food,” the minister hinted, who called “to let the administrations do their work as soon as possible.” Torres also demanded that “the distribution of humanitarian aid” to migrants remaining in the autonomous city be allowed. “Is it that they don’t want the children to eat?” the minister asked, referring to last night’s attacks.
Migrants from Benítez beach move to Trampolín beach after attack on their camp
Many of the migrants who were camped on Benítez beach in Ceuta, whose camp was attacked and burned by a group of violent protesters, moved overnight to Trampolín beach, increasing the camp at this second beach, which has become the main concentration point for people who crossed the border irregularly on July 30 and 31.
After trying to prevent Red Cross volunteers from distributing food among migrants, the protesters went to Benítez beach with a large Spanish flag, where they dismantled and burned part of the migrants’ camp until the police charged to disperse the violent group. With their belongings burned or thrown into the sea, the migrants headed to Trampolín beach.
Concern among Ceuta teachers five days before the start of the school year
Teachers in Ceuta remain uneasy five days before returning to work on September 1, awaiting the security measures announced by the Ministry of Education and amid a crisis for which they see no resolution horizon, prompting calls for certainty and widespread psychological support.
This has been reiterated to EFE by union representatives, after the Ceuta Non-University Teaching Staff Board, the teachers’ representative body, requested that the security reinforcement announced by the Secretary of State for Education, Abelardo de la Rosa, be brought forward from the 8th — the start of the school year — to the coming Tuesday, when teachers and non-teaching staff return to schools.
“The crisis in Ceuta has not ended. It is not like a catastrophe, where the situation ends and recovery begins. We do not know when it will end,” María Trinidad Megías of UGT explained to EFE to contextualize the concern. “It has been many days, many days of fear and also a feeling of abandonment. That leads to enormous tension. That is the serious problem,” added the union representative.
migration crisis
Marlaska goes to Congress after clash with Robles ready to defend his version
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, goes to Congress three days after the loud public clash with the Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, over the role played by the National Intelligence Center (CNI) during the days prior to the Ceuta migration crisis. Robles caused great discomfort within the Government itself on Tuesday by repeatedly stating in her appearance before the lower house that the secret service, which depends on her and has 25 agents deployed in the North African locality, warned that there was a lot of movement at the border with the risk of a massive jump.
You can read the full information here.
Migration crisis
The Government asks the PP to help stop violence in Ceuta amid food distribution blockades to immigrants
The social situation is overflowing at times in Ceuta. Until now, the central Government and the city government had a huge problem that is far from being resolved to attend to and especially start the return processes of the thousands of immigrants still in the city, despite more than 90% of the 70,000 who entered on July 30 and 31 having already returned to Morocco. But at least they had managed something without problems: feeding them daily to avoid greater conflicts, supermarket assaults, or any similar turmoil that occurs when a large group of people is hungry and has food nearby. Now, even that has become a serious problem, because in the last two days, an increasing group of citizens tries to prevent the daily food distribution on El Trampolín beach. Riot police had to intervene, in an unprecedented image broadcast live on television.
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The PP considers the riots in Ceuta as the “consequence of an irresponsible Government”
The spokesperson for the Popular Party in the Congress of Deputies, Esther Muñoz, has considered that the riots that took place this Thursday afternoon on Trampolín beach (Ceuta) are a “consequence of an irresponsible and absent Government.” Muñoz, in a message spread through her account on platform X, accused the Executive of not having defended the border “despite the information it had,” of having abandoned “the people of Ceuta for a month,” and of not being able to “impose public order despite having all the State’s tools,” as well as “deserting its duties to go on vacation.” “Now they look for culprits. They point to the people of Ceuta, the PP, Aznar. They blame the victims and protect those who entered illegally,” she continued, adding that “hate, fear, insecurity, despair have an origin: Sánchez’s Government.”
Good morning. Here begins the live narration of the latest news this Friday, August 28, about the migration crisis in Ceuta. The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, presides over a specialized committee meeting with the participation of 11 ministers on a day when the Ministers of the Interior, Foreign Affairs, and Inclusion and Social Security appear before Congress to report on their management of the crisis, awaiting Sánchez’s explanation in parliament next Thursday. At 9:00, Marlaska will report on his management of the Ceuta crisis in the Interior Committee a few days after stating to the media, following the Council of Ministers meeting, that there was no report from the National Intelligence Center (CNI) foreseeing the entry of thousands of people on July 30 and 31.
