Spain: Clashes erupt in Ceuta as anti-migrant protesters confront police

Police moved to disperse demonstrators at Trampolín and Benítez beaches after belongings and makeshift shelters used by migrants were set alight during the unrest. Footage broadcast by Spanish public television showed protesters throwing objects into bonfires as police pushed them back, while migrants retreated behind a police cordon on a pier.

Earlier, dozens of protesters had staged a sit-in to prevent Red Cross vehicles from reaching the area to distribute food and water. Four aid lorries were forced to stop after demonstrators blocked the road for more than two hours, chanting “They should leave” and “Out with the Red Cross” while waving Spanish flags. Police eventually cleared a route and the daily distribution resumed under heavy security. A convoy of ambulances sent to provide medical assistance was also briefly blocked.

The unrest followed a separate incident involving around 70 migrants and a military patrol. In the early hours of Thursday, a vehicle carrying four soldiers was reportedly “ambushed” near the beach as people on both sides of the road threw stones and other objects. One soldier was injured and the vehicle’s windows were broken. The soldiers withdrew on foot and called for reinforcements. Police later arrived and arrested 12 Moroccan nationals as the crowd dispersed.

The violence highlights the pressure on Ceuta, a territory of just 18 square kilometres where thousands of migrants remain after a mass influx from Morocco a month earlier. Spanish government estimates put the number at between 3,500 and 7,000, while local authorities say it exceeds 10,000. On 27 August, Spain’s Interior Ministry announced plans to send additional staff to identify migrants, while the government has approved €25 million to care for unaccompanied minors. Madrid has also established a single command for Ceuta as criticism mounts over its handling of the crisis.