Lorraine Williamson
Tens of thousands of people have taken part in demonstrations across Spain in support of Ceuta, as the autonomous city continues to deal with the aftermath of the mass migrant arrivals at the end of July.
Gatherings were held in Madrid, Zaragoza, Málaga, Sevilla, Valencia, Murcia, Salamanca, Cáceres, Valladolid, Santander, Pamplona, Toledo, Las Palmas and numerous other municipalities on Wednesday evening. Many coincided with Ceuta Day on 2 September.
The demonstrations followed a call by the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) for towns and cities across the country to show their solidarity with residents of Ceuta.
FEMP president María José García-Pelayo had said ahead of the events that they were intended to be outside party politics and to send a message of “support and solidarity” to the autonomous city. She said municipalities wanted Ceuta’s residents to know that they were not facing the crisis alone.
Around 50,000 gather in Madrid
One of the largest demonstrations took place in Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles, where around 50,000 people attended according to the Government Delegation.
PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Vox leader Santiago Abascal attended, together with Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso and the city’s mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida.
Although the FEMP had presented the demonstrations as an expression of solidarity with Ceuta rather than a party-political event, the Madrid gathering also included strong criticism of the Spanish Government and calls for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to resign.
Separate demonstrations were also held in Madrid, including an anti-racism gathering in Plaza de Callao. Some tensions were reported between groups later in the evening, with police intervening following incidents near the demonstrations.
More than 23,000 attend in Zaragoza
Zaragoza also saw a particularly large turnout. The city council said more than 23,200 people gathered in Plaza del Pilar for an event led by mayor Natalia Chueca and Aragón president Jorge Azcón.
Representatives from political, business and social organisations joined the demonstration, while Spanish and Ceuta flags were displayed throughout the square.
Large gatherings also took place across Andalucía, including Málaga, Sevilla, Granada, Córdoba, Cádiz and Huelva.
In Málaga, members of the Andalucian regional government joined the demonstration outside the city hall. The Junta de Andalucía had confirmed that regional ministers would attend events across the community, including Málaga, Córdoba, Huelva, Granada and Cádiz.
Demonstrations spread across Spain
Support for Ceuta was also visible in Valencia, Murcia, Cáceres and Salamanca, where regional presidents attended gatherings, while residents took to the streets in Logroño, Pamplona, Toledo, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Valladolid and Santander.
Some municipalities governed by the PSOE also held their own events despite the national party leadership criticising the FEMP initiative as politically motivated.
Among them were Mérida and Almendralejo in Extremadura, as well as municipalities in the Valencian Community, Andalucía and Murcia. More than 500 people attended the gathering in Mérida, where a statement agreed by all five political groups represented on the city council was read.
The events took place against an increasingly tense political backdrop. The PP and Vox supported the FEMP initiative, while the Spanish Government and parties on the left criticised the way the demonstrations had been organised.
In Barcelona and Bilbao, separate anti-racism demonstrations were held alongside events supporting Ceuta, reflecting the wider political debate that has developed around the migration crisis.
Ceuta marks its day amid continuing crisis
The demonstrations coincided with Ceuta Day, which this year has taken place little more than a month after the mass arrival of migrants across the border from Morocco on 30 and 31 July.
Ceuta itself held one of the largest demonstrations in its recent history on Wednesday. Residents again called for measures to restore normality in the autonomous city, which has faced intense pressure on accommodation, public services and other resources since the arrivals.
The nationwide gatherings have taken the repercussions of the Ceuta crisis far beyond the autonomous city, with Wednesday’s demonstrations becoming one of the largest coordinated public responses in mainland Spain since the crisis began.