Protests in Spain Over Migrant Crisis

Tens of thousands of people protested throughout Spain, expressing frustration with the government’s response to a mass migrant crossing into Spain in July. In Madrid alone, authorities reported 50,000 protesters demonstrating against Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as the migrant crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta persists.

Violence erupted after the main protests concluded, with reports of gunshots and explosions throughout Wednesday night. Law enforcement was present as Ceuta residents dismantled a migrant camp by the beach. Many demonstrators held Spanish flags and carried signs with messages such as, “A united Ceuta will never be defeated” and “Sánchez to prison.” Others called for migrants to leave, stating, “Invaders — go home!”

Spain is still reeling from an influx of over 70,000 migrants who crossed into the country from Morocco in late July. Ceuta’s regional leader, Juan Jesús Vivas, stated, “What happened to us was not a migratory crisis. What happened was the violation of Spain’s territorial integrity.” In the wake of these events, residents of Ceuta recently dismantled makeshift migrant shelters.

Demonstrators moved toward the beachside camps last week to destroy shelters while police attempted to maintain order. Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE and news agency EFE reported these incidents. The Spanish military has since been deployed to address the overwhelmed border enclave.

Prime Minister Sánchez attributed the amplification of the crisis to Russia and Israel, claiming their networks spread disinformation on social media. According to Sánchez, the European External Action Service indicated these actions misinterpreted a Spanish Supreme Court ruling. However, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova dismissed these claims, asking for verifiable facts. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar denied the accusations, accusing Sánchez of trying to deflect from failures in domestic policy.

Fox News’ Efrat Lachter and the Associated Press contributed additional insights to this report.