Aznar in Ceuta: the alleged migrant 'hunt' sparking outrage in Spain

Aznar in Ceuta: the 'human hunt' accusation dividing Spanish politics

The same visit that the official newspaper of the PNV (Basque Nationalist Party) described as the spark for a hunt against immigrants was, for others, a gesture of firmness in a city under siege from migratory pressure. The image of former Prime Minister José María Aznar in Ceuta has peine the war of narratives over immigration, with an exchange of reproaches between Basque nationalism and the Spanish right.

The editorial, published by the newspaper that acts as the PNV's mouthpiece, argued that the presence of the former leader of the PP (People's Party) unleashed a human hunt not only against the migrants living in tents and shanties, but also against Muslim residents and Red Cross volunteers. The accusation has left no one indifferent. The left mocked Aznar's past, recalling that the former prime minister is still "looking for Saddam's weapons of mass destruction." Others, however, applauded that "at least he showed up there," a veiled jab at those who avoid the front line.

The matter becomes even more tangled with Aznar's own recent statements on immigration. While Vox demands a hard line, the former prime minister has criticised Abascal's party and argued that Spain needs foreign workers: "If there are fewer and fewer Spaniards, someone will have to do the work." A phrase that puts him in an awkward position: the same person accused of stirring up rejection of migrants is now calling for more of them to come.

The exchange of accusations highlights the fracture over an issue that admits no grey areas. For the PNV, Aznar is a provocateur; for the radical right, a softie; for himself, perhaps, a demographic realist. Can one imagine Aznar—the same man who warns that foreign hands are lacking—inciting a hunt against migrants? The question hangs in the air, alongside the shanties of Ceuta.