Protesters torch migrant camp in Ceuta, clash with police
Demonstrators in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta set fire to a migrant camp and clashed with police, one month after a mass influx from Morocco.
Fire and unrest at Ceuta migrant camp as protesters confront police
Demonstrators in Ceuta set fire to a migrant camp and clashed with police on Thursday, Google News IE — Crime (en) reports, one month after a mass influx of migrants crossed into the Spanish enclave from Morocco.
Footage broadcast on Spanish television showed a group of protesters on a beach throwing objects into the blaze. Police pushed the demonstrators back as migrants retreated to a nearby pier.
Earlier that day, around 70 people attacked a military vehicle with stones and other projectiles, a police spokesman in Ceuta told the AFP news agency.
Local protesters also attempted to block Red Cross vehicles from reaching the beach to distribute food to migrants. People waving Spanish flags chanted "They should leave" and "Out with the Red Cross."
In July, more than 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta without authorisation, hoping to reach the European mainland. The vast majority have since returned to Morocco, but several thousand remain — living on streets or on the beach.
Spain's central government in Madrid puts the current number at below 7,000, whilst Ceuta's local authorities say it stands at a minimum of 10,000. The enclave has a total population of around 84,000.
Madrid has come under mounting pressure over the situation. The conservative opposition has accused left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of failing to act and abandoning Ceuta's residents.
The government has moved to accelerate the identification of migrants and determine who will be returned to Morocco. Additional funding has also been approved to support unaccompanied minors, who are entitled to special protection under Spanish law.
The crisis is unfolding ahead of general elections scheduled for next year and has sharpened political divisions across Spain, with the conservative opposition calling for a harder line on migration.
The July influx had already strained relations within the EU over the appropriate response to the situation in Ceuta.
Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)