With each passing hour, Ceuta’s collective anger, which it has been living with for 27 days, rises a little more. Initial indignation has given way to a rage that has found the perfect loudspeaker in social media, the government as the target of attacks, and migrants as the easiest objective. Thousands of Ceutians took to the streets on Wednesday in a massive protest that began in front of the Government Delegation of Ceuta with shouts of “invaders expulsion” and “delegate, resignation.” Dressed in Spanish flags and t-shirts reading “Ceuta is not for sale, Ceuta defends itself,” it was one of the most crowded demonstrations since the entry 26 days ago of 80,000 migrants, of whom between 5,000 and 8,000 remain in the autonomous city.
The possibility of using sports centers as reception centers, a measure announced in a Royal Decree that was later reversed, was the straw that broke the camel’s back. For this reason, the minister and sole commander in charge of the normalization of the Autonomous City, Ángel Víctor Torres, insisted on his call to stop any incident. “Violence leads nowhere. This situation brings out the best and worst in people,” Torres insisted. “Violence goes nowhere and delays the normalization of the city,” he said after meeting with several ministers.
During the protest, there were moments of great tension every time demonstrators encountered someone they considered one of the newly arrived Moroccans, and the police had to work hard to prevent several lynchings.
“They have taken over the beaches, ruined businesses, and spread fear in the neighborhoods. Now they say we won’t even be able to play sports, and we still don’t know if the school year can start. It’s not right that they appropriate a city in this way; we live in four blocks,” says Jaime Barrios, a civil servant stationed in Ceuta.
Raquel Gonzalo, 39, says that a group of immigrants tried to enter her parents’ house, located near El Trampolín beach. “They did it through the terrace. My mother has lost six kilos and my father has anxiety attacks. I don’t dare to exercise in the street. I’m scared. They have taken over the city and we have no security,” she said.
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If on Tuesday there was a protest rehearsal with a few hundred people in the street, this Wednesday the mobilization was massive and covered large areas of the city. The most popular neighborhoods, tired of the situation, joined in. President Pedro Sánchez, the Government, and the current Government Delegate were the center of the attacks. Meanwhile, rumors multiplied, and throughout the day, calls circulated from phone to phone to organize, arrange night patrols, or head to the areas of El Trampolín or Loma Colmenar, where most migrants are concentrated, adding more tension to the atmosphere.
The massive protest was the culmination of a day that began with a minute of silence from all workers and ended with shouts of “long live Ceuta, long live Spain, and long live the King,” with which public workers want to draw attention to the situation in Ceuta.
For now, the strongest mobilization has focused on boycotting any place where the newly appointed sole commander was present. It didn’t matter if it was the hotel, a restaurant, or the Government Delegation. Every time the minister moved, dozens of people gathered in front of the door to insult him.
The anger and aggression were not limited to anyone in flip-flops and with a Moroccan appearance who crossed paths with the demonstrators. Paranoia spread to anyone recording with a mobile phone. A man narrowly escaped being lynched when someone accused him of being a Moroccan spy trying to record people. The man escaped by locking himself in a bakery and only came out when the police arrived. The fury has extended to the media, and there were several episodes of violence against some of the journalists covering the demonstration. Amidst this climate, former president José María Aznar will arrive in Ceuta this Thursday.