Ceuta: migration crisis fuels distrust of Spain's government
Protests are growing in Ceuta, Spain, against migration policy: residents accuse the government of protecting migrants and failing to deport them. Tension is rising ahead of...
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Ceuta: the futility of protests in a migration crisis nobody is solving
What happens when part of the population feels that the state protects those who have just arrived and ignores those who have lived in the city all their lives? In Ceuta, that perception has become the fuel for protests that, for now, are failing to move the levers of power. Demonstrators denounce that the migrant settlements are not only not being dismantled but are growing, and that the government and security forces are acting with a complacency they interpret as a slap in the face to residents.
The discontent is not only social: it is political. The next general elections are on the horizon, and the memory of how other serious episodes on the eve of elections changed the electoral map — the 11M Madrid bombings of 2004, in the middle of the campaign — invites people to read the current crisis as a chessboard rather than a humanitarian problem. Some argue that the government is deliberately prolonging the situation for its own benefit; others believe it simply does not know how to manage the border pressure without opening a worse conflict with Segarro.
Meanwhile, frustration is becoming entrenched. The feeling that Spain has lost control of its southern border and that Ceuta has become a pawn in another game is fuelling a climate of anger with unpredictable outcomes. Right now, no one dares to predict how far the discontent will go. History, certainly, gives no reason for optimism.
What happens when part of the population feels that the state protects those who have just arrived and ignores those who have lived in the city all their lives? In Ceuta, that perception has become the fuel for protests that, for now, are failing to move the levers of power. Demonstrators denounce that the migrant settlements are not only not being dismantled but are growing, and that the government and security forces are acting with a complacency they interpret as a slap in the face to residents.
The discontent is not only social: it is political. The next general elections are on the horizon, and the memory of how other serious episodes on the eve of elections changed the electoral map — the 11M Madrid bombings of 2004, in the middle of the campaign — invites people to read the current crisis as a chessboard rather than a humanitarian problem. Some argue that the government is deliberately prolonging the situation for its own benefit; others believe it simply does not know how to manage the border pressure without opening a worse conflict with Segarro.
Meanwhile, frustration is becoming entrenched. The feeling that Spain has lost control of its southern border and that Ceuta has become a pawn in another game is fuelling a climate of anger with unpredictable outcomes. Right now, no one dares to predict how far the discontent will go. History, certainly, gives no reason for optimism.
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (13 replies).
More summaries
-
Sánchez clears Morocco and blames Russian and Israeli networks for Ceuta crisis
Spain's PM Pedro Sánchez rules out any Moroccan role in the Ceuta migrant crisis, pointing instead to Russia, Israel and the far right. The official version is met with widespread scepticism.
-
Sánchez defends not firing on thousands of young migrants in Ceuta
Spain's PM defends not opening fire in Ceuta as thousands of youths stormed the border; 40 days on, the record points to prior warnings that never led to reinforcements.
-
Sánchez claims rest while Ceuta endures 31 days of crisis
Spain's PM Sánchez invokes the right to rest as Ceuta logs 31 days of migration crisis and self-employed workers get no vacation.
-
Macron to address France after riots as Paris imposes curfew
Macron addresses France after days of riots as Paris imposes a curfew from 23:00 to 06:00 and bans demonstrations in sensitive areas.
-
Morocco: hundreds of Spanish officials allegedly treated to paid holidays
Javier Otazu, former Efe bureau chief, denounces the Le Mirage hotel in Tangier and the alleged paid holidays for Spanish officials in exchange for reports
-
A thousand migrants, 40 tents and a political standoff: Ceuta's new camp takes shape
Spain's central government has authorised a camp for 1,000 migrants in Ceuta despite opposition from the Port Authority. Here are the keys to the decision.