Thousands of protesters marched through Madrid on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez over his handling of the migration crisis in Ceuta and calling for fresh elections.
The protesters marched from Cibeles Square to the Moncloa Arch, near the headquarters of the Spanish government, where they denounced the government’s response to the unprecedented influx of migrants into the Spanish territory.
The demonstration followed a major border crisis in Ceuta, a small Spanish enclave on the northern coast of Africa bordering Morocco.
In late July, about 72,000 people reportedly swam, scrambled or forced their way into Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco in an attempt to reach Europe. At least 90 people died during the mass crossing.
Although most of those who entered the territory were subsequently returned or escorted back across the border, about 5,000 migrants, including some 1,200 minors, were still in Ceuta weeks later, according to the Spanish national government.
Ceuta’s local authorities have cited a higher number of migrants remaining in the territory.
The unprecedented arrival placed severe pressure on the enclave’s resources and generated widespread concern among residents of the territory, whose population is estimated at about 84,000.
Questions have also remained over the circumstances that triggered the mass crossing. The Spanish government has attributed the influx partly to an online campaign on social media that encouraged people to attempt the journey into Ceuta.
Local authorities, however, have accused Spain’s central government of failing to respond adequately to warning signs ahead of the border breach.
The crisis has since become a major political issue, with Saturday’s protesters accusing Sanchez’s government of mishandling the situation and demanding both his resignation and the organisation of new national elections.
Ceuta, which normally observes its annual official holiday on September 2 with little attention from mainland Spain, has instead found itself at the centre of one of the country’s most serious migration and border crises in recent years.
