Hundreds of people took to the streets this Tuesday to protest against the central Government’s handling of the migration crisis affecting Ceuta and against the State’s intention to use various facilities in the autonomous city to accommodate migrants.
The protest, which began at 4:00 p.m. in front of the Coronel Fiscer barracks – one of the spaces the Government plans to use – took place after the draft Royal Decree was revealed, with which the Government intends to declare the situation of interest for national security in Ceuta and enable a wide network of facilities to assist the people remaining in the city following the massive entry recorded at the end of July.
Among the spaces included in the document are the Coronel Fiscer barracks itself, several municipal sports centers, and the Military Hospital, a plan that has generated strong rejection among part of the citizenry.
Residents of El Sardinero, Parques de Ceuta, Puertas del Campo, Colonia Weil, and Avenida Lisboa, among other areas, attended the gathering with flags of Spain and Ceuta, as well as banners. During the protest, slogans were chanted against the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, and the Government delegate in Ceuta, Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano, and their resignations were demanded.
The gathering initially took place peacefully with the presence of the National Police to control the situation, although the march later experienced some moments of tension.
The demonstrators began to move spontaneously through the city aiming to gather in front of the Government Delegation from 8:00 p.m. onwards.
The call had been initially promoted by the socialist deputy in the Ceuta Assembly, Melchor León, who publicly demanded the resignation of Pérez Triano, who also holds the General Secretariat of the PSOE in Ceuta.
MINISTER TORRES WAS NOT YET IN CEUTA
The mobilization later continued to the vicinity of the Hotel Ulises, where the organizers claimed that the Minister of Territorial Policy and coordinator of the ‘single command’ announced for Ceuta, Ángel Víctor Torres, was located.
Sources from the Government Delegation denied that Torres was at the establishment at that time and indicated that the minister was expected to arrive in Ceuta during the night.
Near the hotel, some protesters tried to forcibly enter the establishment, although the entrance was blocked by police officers. Later, the participants dispersed into several groups and continued the protest in different parts of the city.
One of these groups moved towards La Ribera beach, in the heart of Ceuta, where some protesters confronted migrants who were at the public showers and chanted slogans such as “invaders, expulsion”.
A DRAFT THAT INCLUDES NUMEROUS SPACES
The trigger for the mobilization was the release of the draft Royal Decree proposing to declare the situation of interest for national security and establish a single command to manage the migration crisis under the coordination of Ángel Víctor Torres.
The document includes the use of various spaces under the Ministry of Defense, including Loma Margarita, the Equestrian Center, the old flour factory, the former cavalry barracks football field, and available areas of the Coronel Fiscer barracks, as well as the Guano esplanade and the covered sports center of IES Puertas del Campo.
The list of facilities also includes resources dependent on the autonomous city, such as the Loma Colmenar parking lot and the Military Hospital, currently ceded by Defense to the local Government.
The draft also proposes using the covered sports centers of Santa Amelia, La Libertad, Antonio Campoamor, Guillermo Molina, and Díaz-Flor.
The content of the document has caused particular rejection among the protesters because it contemplates the mobilization of these infrastructures to respond to the crisis but does not specify measures related to the return of migrants nor specific mechanisms to expedite their departure from Ceuta.
