28.08.2026 23:20
In Ceuta, Spain's North African city, social tension has increased due to the presence of about 10,000 migrants. Local residents are bothered by security concerns and the migrants' behavior; they set fire to the migrants' shelters. Police dispersed the crowd with warning shots and rubber bullets. The Spanish government and church authorities called for calm and peace.
Tensions between residents of Ceuta and around ten thousand migrants who have been in the city for weeks have turned into violent incidents. A large group demanding that the migrants leave Ceuta set fire to their shelters. A month has passed since around 80,000 African migrants flooded into Ceuta, Spain's territory in North Africa, yet social tension in the city continues to rise.
Since midweek, thousands of people in the border city with Morocco have taken to the streets demanding the immediate deportation of the migrants still in Ceuta.
Following the influx, most of the migrants, predominantly young Moroccans, were sent back to their country within 24 hours. However, according to official statements from the regional government, there are currently nearly 10,000 migrants in the city, which has a population of 85,000.
RESIDENTS OF CEUTA ARE ANGRY
According to local sources, residents of Ceuta are disturbed by migrants sleeping outdoors, occupying the beaches, and using streets and squares as toilets. However, the main concern stems from a growing sense of insecurity. Residents speaking to Spanish media report an increase in thefts, aggressive begging by Moroccan migrants, and that women are afraid to go out even during daylight hours due to groups of male migrants.
VIOLENCE ERUPTS
The perception among Ceuta residents that the Spanish central government is not making enough effort to bring the situation under control is also strengthening. On Thursday, dozens of people blocked the road to El Trampolín beach, preventing the passage of Red Cross trucks carrying aid supplies for the migrants.
In the evening, dozens of people rushed to Playa de Benítez beach, shouting xenophobic slogans while carrying Spanish flags, iron bars, and sticks. The shelters built by migrants from wood, plastic sheeting, and palm leaves were then set on fire. The crowd also threw the migrants' few belongings into the sea.
The police could only prevent the angry crowd from attacking the migrants by firing warning shots into the air and using plastic bullets. Violent incidents among migrants during food distribution and an attack on a military vehicle by dozens of Moroccans further heightened tension in the city.
GOVERNMENT CALLS FOR CALM
The Spanish central government and the conservative regional government in Ceuta are urging the public to remain calm and act sensibly. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, in a statement on Friday, called for an end to all violence. The socialist minister said in Madrid, "I fully understand the citizens, but violence is not the solution."
The Diocese of Cadiz and Ceuta had called for a prayer vigil for peace weeks ago due to the tense atmosphere. Bishop Ramon Valdivia stated that the Church wants to contribute to overcoming fear and strengthening social solidarity in Ceuta.
Fernando Redondo Pavon, head of the Migration Department of the Spanish Bishops' Conference, also declared that he "strongly condemns" the violent incidents in Ceuta. Speaking to the Catholic News Agency (KNA), Pavon said he understood that the public was under great pressure but emphasized that such behavior could not be accepted under any circumstances.
Pavon stated that the current crisis could only be overcome by "respecting the inviolable dignity of all people, treating them humanely, and adhering to legal processes," and recalled Pope Leo's words spoken during his visit to the Canary Islands in June: "Human dignity has no passport and does not lose its value by crossing a border."