Defense Minister Margarita Robles has arrived in Ceuta with a strong message for the inhabitants of the autonomous city and, above all, although not openly mentioned, to Morocco: “Ceuta and Melilla are untouchable.” A declaration of strength with which she wanted to dispel fears amid rumors of a new mass entry attempt this weekend. In a brief press conference, in which she avoided answering whether she will attend the Senate Defense Committee next week, she issued a clear message directed directly at the people of Ceuta: “What happened on the 30th cannot happen again. Ceuta and Melilla are very Spanish. We have Armed Forces professionals who have been fully committed for 11 days supporting the population of Ceuta and that will continue to be the case. People in Ceuta should know that their Armed Forces will be with them. We will not abandon them,” she stated.
Read more Arrested for robbing a barbershop in Fuenlabrada using the ‘manhole cover method’
But before Robles spoke those words, tension was already palpable near the City Hall. Half an hour before her arrival to meet with the president of the autonomous city, Juan Jesús Vivas, a small group of people awaited her arrival. The anticipation was high. After the visit on Monday by the Minister of Territorial Policy and the Foreign Affairs Minister on Tuesday, there was a feeling in Ceuta that government members were coming to the city “just for the photo.”
When Robles appeared walking along the promenade, the shouting began immediately. “Traitor,” “shameless,” and accusations of “abandoning the military” greeted the minister. But instead of walking past, as other politicians usually do in the face of such protests, Robles stopped to listen. The first to approach the minister was Pepi, a 66-year-old Ceutan woman who broke down crying, overwhelmed by anxiety: “I feel abandoned, I am scared. I feel sorry for Ceuta because we are Spanish like everyone else,” she told her through tears. Robles took her hands and responded: “Of course.”
“I used to hold you in esteem, but you cannot abandon Ceuta. Please, I beg you,” the woman continued, visibly distraught. “We will not do that,” the Defense Minister assured her. Pepi then explained the fear she has been living with these days. “I think I am nervous because I live alone and I am scared. I have never found myself closing all the windows and the door without being able to sleep all night,” she told her. Robles tried to calm her, offered her a glass of water at the Ceuta General Command, and invited her to join the meeting she was going to have with Vivas.
Gradually, Pepi calmed down. Before saying goodbye, she apologized to the minister for the insults she had directed at her upon arrival. Robles downplayed the matter with a smile: “Don’t worry, when one is angry sometimes it’s good to vent.” On leaving the City Hall, on the way to the Ceuta General Command, Robles stopped again. This time, in front of a father who was watching the scene with his two young children. The minister addressed the children and asked if they were scared. “Tell them what happened to us the other day,” the father encouraged them.
Read more Inflation in the United States slightly eases to 3.4% in July, but does not clear the Fed’s path
The little girl then began to recount what happened on the beach. They had gone swimming when suddenly “it started to smell very bad.” According to her, one of the people who had entered Ceuta by swimming “had relieved themselves in the middle of the beach and then went into the sea to clean up, so we had to leave.” The father thanked Robles “for stepping up,” because, in his opinion, “she has been the only one to do so.” Then Africa appeared, another woman passing by the area, who approached the minister to once again convey the feeling of abandonment that, she says, many Ceutans live with.
“I can’t go out alone anymore,” Africa exclaimed through tears. The woman, completely distraught, hugged Robles. The minister returned the hug and took off her sunglasses, revealing that her eyes were also moist. “They don’t see reality, because you only come for half an hour,” Africa reproached her. Robles responded firmly that she had seen her and explained that the woman was unaware “of the areas she had been to this morning.”
Afterwards, more neighbors approached to talk with the minister. Some to thank her for stopping; others to apologize for the initial insults. “We are a bit desperate,” one of the men explained. Robles assured that she does not take the words personally and tried to ease the tension with humor: “Quite the opposite. If Spaniards, when we get angry, are very vehement,” she said with a smile.
When the minister finally left, among those present a phrase was repeated: “This woman is really brave.” Pepi, now much calmer, was also emotional about the encounter. “She has been a very empathetic and very humane woman. I want to believe that she will do something because she has given me calm and peace. She took my hand and disarmed me,” she said.
