Hundreds of Ceutí residents living in Madrid gathered this Wednesday in front of the Congress of Deputies to demand "immediate solutions" and hold the central Government accountable.
Many Ceutí residents from different generations living in the capital attended the call, supported by thousands of citizens from other parts of Spain who wanted to join the mobilization.
From well before 8:00 PM, the Lion's Gate of the Congress was cordoned off with barriers and a large deployment of National Police agents.
A multitude of flags from Spain and Ceuta has painted the Plaza de las Cortes red and yellow, while thousands of attendees chanted slogans like "Ceuta is not for sale, Ceuta defends itself," "it's not immigration, it's invasion," and "a horse never surrenders."
A good part of the Ceutí residents concentrated in front of the Lower House insisted that their priority was to demand a solution to the crisis and keep the protest apart from parties, although that purpose has proven complicated.
In the early moments of the event, while some groups chanted slogans like "Pedro Sánchez son of a bitch" or "Sánchez to prison," the Ceutí residents leading the march with a large banner tried to ask for those shouts against the Executive to be abandoned.
Despite this, the proclamations directed against the members of the Government continued to be heard throughout the afternoon.
Among the attendees was Francesco Grugni, an Italian resident in Ceuta, who attended the concentration because he wants to show that, in his opinion, the true image of the city is that of "a city open to the four cultures" where anyone "of any political inclination" is welcome.
Also present were Ana, Clara, and Claudia, three friends from Madrid who explained that they participate to defend "the unity among Spaniards and not a policy." The three young women added that, with this type of mobilization, they hope that "Spaniards wake up and politicians resign."
Pedro and Jaime arrived at the vicinity of the Congress with their group of friends, all Ceutí residents in Madrid and dressed in t-shirts from the Ceutí football club. "We are here to defend the city that has seen us born and grow," they say, and emphasize that they are not demanding anything "strange," but the same security that they consider guaranteed in any other Spanish city.
These young people insist that the Ceutíes carry "a great feeling of loss" that, they report, has intensified after what happened on July 30 and 31, although they remember that it is a feeling that comes "from afar".
Within minutes, the Plaza de las Cortes has completely filled up and the crowd has extended to the Plaza de Neptuno, where the human tide mixed with those heading to the gathering called in Cibeles.
As the afternoon progressed, chants against the president of the Government and the Minister of the Interior became more frequent and louder. At the same time, among the crowd, people wearing shirts from the Núcleo Nacional group appeared, as well as known figures like Daniel Esteve, founder of Desokupa, or the commissioner Víctor de Aldama.
One of the moments of greatest tension occurred before the official start of the gathering. A group of attendees shouted at journalists from "La Sexta" and "TVE" calling them "liars" and even tried to snatch their microphones. The National Police deployed in the area had to intervene due to the shoving and the continuous insults directed at the reporters.
The Police charge with rubber bullets to disperse the protest
The Police ended up dispersing part of the protesters who were in front of the Congress of Deputies with rubber bullets.
Although the protest had started peacefully, around 9:20 PM the atmosphere began to sour. A sector of the attendees began to direct chants and messages against the deployed agents.
Shouting "with the Moors, there are no balls" hundreds of protesters began to confront the security forces present at the device.
The tension increased and a group of people began to throw objects at the police. The agents responded by using tear gas and firing rubber bullets to disperse the crowd and try to regain control of the area.