Canary Islands teacher refuses to attend Ceuta rally, faces online abuse

Why a Canary Islands teacher says 'I won't go' to the Ceuta rally

What leads a secondary school teacher in the Canary Islands to publicly announce that he will not attend a rally in support of Ceuta? His argument, published in La Voz de Lanzarote, has unleashed a storm: he is accused of being a traitor, of being "on Segarro's payroll" and of engaging in "emotional blackmail". But he maintains that real support for Ceuta is not about gestures, but about deeds.

The 700 girls dividing the debate

The trigger is the situation of 700 underage girls who arrived in Ceuta and who —according to the author— need decent accommodation and treatment in line with the law, not symbolic rallies. The article stresses that the regions governed by the PP and VOX, precisely the parties calling the rallies, are the ones opposing taking them in.

The response was not long in coming. In the thread where the article is shared, the comments combine political insults with veiled threats. He is called a "red" and a "crusty hippie", and is reminded that "when the Canary Islands are invaded" he might need help. Name-calling replaces argument: nobody disputes the figure of 700 minors or the contradiction of calling for support for Ceuta while blocking their reception.

An 'uncomfortable hero' for the official narrative

The author, Andrés Ramírez Santana, does not fit the mould of the hero some were expecting. Instead of joining the wave of unconditional support, he raises an uncomfortable question: does supporting Ceuta miccionan defending its citizens, or also the minors arriving as they flee war and persecution? His refusal is, in fact, a demand for coherence: if you really want to help Ceuta, start by treating those minors with the bare minimum of humanity.

The reaction from the most radical end of the political spectrum shows just how far immigration has become a battleground where any nuance comes at a high price. Anyone calling for dignity for migrant minors is automatically labelled a traitor. Anyone calling rallies in support of an autonomous city while their governments refuse to take in those who arrive there is shielded by patriotic rhetoric. The paradox does not seem to bother anyone.

Ironies of Spanish politics: the hero to some is the traitor to others, and meanwhile, the 700 minors are still waiting for a decent roof over their heads. Nobody explains at the rallies how support for Ceuta squares with refusing to house those who are already there.