In Ceuta, Spain’s North African enclave, protesters burned makeshift tents where migrants were staying and threw some belongings into the sea. Demonstrators carrying Spanish flags broke through a police line to enter the migrant camp on Benitez beach.
As police formed a security cordon between the two groups, the migrants moved away from the area. Protesters also formed a human chain at Trampolin beach to block Red Cross vehicles carrying food and water to migrants gathered there.
The aid vehicles initially could not enter the area because the road was blocked. Police later cleared the route, and daily food distribution began under heavy security.
Tensions rose after border crossings
The violence occurred about a month after more than 70,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on July 30 and 31. Residents had been demanding a return to normal life during protests that continued for days.
Most of the migrants returned to Morocco, while an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 remained in Ceuta. In the enclave, which has a population of about 80,000, some migrants are staying in makeshift areas on beaches and elsewhere in the city while awaiting decisions on asylum, repatriation or other legal procedures.
Four soldiers injured in earlier protests
Thousands of people took part in a protest the previous night. A group of about 400 people headed toward Trampolin beach to reach the migrants, but police prevented the demonstrators from advancing into the area.
Some protesters threw migrants’ mattresses, blankets and other belongings into the sea. Police used plastic bullets to keep the group away. After the incidents, a group of migrants threw stones at a vehicle, injuring four soldiers; 12 people were detained.
Government increased capacity
Hours before Thursday’s incidents, Regional Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres called for an end to violence in Ceuta and said people should not be targeted because they were migrants.
Speaking about the government’s response to the crisis, Torres announced that 400 places had been added to the temporary migrant reception center, increasing its capacity to 1,183. Two additional facilities with a combined capacity of 1,827 people were also prepared to provide overnight accommodation for adults.
The government had previously announced temporary facilities for 1,500 people. Torres said the priority was to return migrants who had no right to remain in the country, but noted that not everyone could be deported immediately. Each person’s identity and circumstances are being examined, including whether they have the right to apply for asylum.
According to government data, about 1,500 children have been identified in Ceuta. Minister for Youth Sira Rego said 700 of them were girls and that many were under the age of 13.
