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50,000 protest in Madrid over Ceuta migrant crisis
BBC News··3 Sept
Thousands protested across Spain on Wednesday over the government's handling of migrants in Ceuta. At least 72,000 people crossed from Morocco on July 30 and 31, and about 5,000 remain. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo told a Madrid rally of more than 50,000 that a Spanish city had been invaded. Pedro Sánchez blamed trafficking gangs.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Near-daily protests in Ceuta have called for migrants to be sent back or redistributed across Spain.
- Demonstrators in Ceuta chanted that the city must be defended.
- A 45-year-old teacher in Madrid said the government response was inadequate and late.
What's Happening
- Spanish opposition parties accuse Sánchez of abandoning Ceuta residents.
- A police report said Moroccan forces showed total permissiveness during the influx.
- Sánchez has insisted Morocco was not responsible for orchestrating the crossings.
Ceuta's Long Border History
- Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish autonomous cities on the North African coast.
- Morocco has a long-standing claim over both enclaves.
- At least 100 people died trying to swim around the border fence, according to the mayor.
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