Hundreds of illegal migrants that stormed Ceuta staged a protest Sunday demanding the Spanish government grant them immediate asylum benefits including – but not limited to – food, shelter, medical treatment, and freedom of movement to mainland Spain and beyond to the rest of Europe.
Per Spanish outlets, the protest was staged by about 200 migrants from the broader group encamped at El Trampolín beach — now marred with over 80 makeshift hubs made of garbage. The migrants, mostly composed of Moroccan and Subsaharan nationals, affirmed that they do not want to return to their respective countries of origin and thus demand asylum protections in Spain and a chance to travel to mainland Europe.
Footage published by Spanish outlets show the migrants holding cardboard signs and Spanish flags while yelling chants of “Asylum” and “What do we want? Asylum.”
According to the public broadcaster RTVE, some of the non-government organizations and groups that have been providing assistance to the illegal migrants reportedly “helped several of them create and write the signs later displayed during the gathering, in addition to encouraging and cheering on the protest.”
The local outlet El Faro de Ceuta reports that the protest started after an unspecified amount of Moroccan nationals had their asylum requests denied at temporary migrant shelters. According to the outlet, the migrants attempted to march towards downtown Ceuta but their efforts were contained by military officials.
Spanish central government officials and Ceuta’s local government have publicly offered different estimates on the amount of remaining illegal migrants in Ceuta following the massive late July invasion.
Last week, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska insisted that about “5,000” migrants remained in Ceuta — however, the president of Ceuta’s local government, Juan Jesús Vivas, denounced that his office estimates roughly 10,000 migrants instead.
A report published last week by the Spanish newspaper El País, citing unnamed Spanish government sources, indicated that more than 5,000 illegal migrants in Ceuta were eligible for asylum or other forms of protection under Spanish law.
Interior Minister Marlaska, and other Spanish government officials, have affirmed over the past days that all of the illegal migrants who stormed Ceuta will be “sent back.” Vivas, as head of Ceuta’s local government, has urgently demanded that any and all asylum or similar migrant benefit provisions are suspended in Ceuta and called for all migrants abandon the exclave as soon as possible. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Vivas insisted on his urgent requests, stressing, “There is risk that something irreversible happens.”
Standing in contrast to the claims made by Spanish government officials that all illegal migrants involved in the invasion of Ceuta will be sent back. Europapress reports that Spanish magistrature and judicial groups are instead rejecting “mass” asylum refusals — calling for all migrants who invaded Ceuta and are now seeking asylum to have their requests reviewed on a case-by-case basis.