No Name Kitchen (NNK) has become the center of attention in Ceuta after the Civil Guard searched its facilities last Thursday, October 22, as part of a judicial investigation into the alleged distribution of dangerous objects among migrant people. The operation, which also affected a property used by the Mutual Support Brigades, took place almost three months after the migration crisis at the end of July and ended with two activists detained, who were later released with precautionary measures. Although initially police sources linked both arrests to No Name Kitchen, information that emerged later places the detainees within the Mutual Support Brigades, while the first organization denies any connection to the investigated events.
But what exactly is No Name Kitchen and what activity does it carry out in Ceuta? It is an international humanitarian movement born in 2017 that works with migrant and refugee people at different points along European migration routes. In the autonomous city, where it has had a presence since 2021, its volunteers carry out food and basic product distributions, provide first aid, accompany vulnerable people during their administrative procedures, and document possible human rights violations at the border. The organization combines this direct assistance with a public activity denouncing European migration policies, a task that has gained greater visibility in recent months due to the situation in Ceuta.
What is No Name Kitchen and where was this organization born
No Name Kitchen, whose name can be translated as "Cocina sin nombre," was born in Belgrade, Serbia, during the winter of 2017, when a group of volunteers began preparing food alongside refugee people who were stranded on the Balkan route after the closure of various European borders. That initiative, initially focused on providing food to those in precarious conditions, eventually evolved into an international movement supporting migrant people.
According to the entity itself explains on its website, its activity takes place in border areas of the Balkans and the Mediterranean, where it organizes humanitarian assistance projects and promotes awareness initiatives about the conditions faced by people in transit. Among its main actions are the distribution of warm clothing, blankets, and sleeping bags, basic healthcare, and legal advice for those who need to access international protection mechanisms.
The organization also participates in the Border Violence Monitoring Network, a network dedicated to collecting testimonies and documenting complaints about pushbacks and possible abuses at European borders. This aspect distinguishes its activity from traditional material assistance, as No Name Kitchen also develops public campaigns and legal actions to challenge certain practices of migration control.
What No Name Kitchen does in Ceuta and since when it has been working in the city
The presence of No Name Kitchen in Ceuta began in February 2021, when the collective launched a project for social and legal protection and accompaniment mainly aimed at migrants who remained outside official reception resources. Its work has particularly focused on young people and minors living on the streets or in improvised settlements, as well as on people who need help accessing medical care or understanding their administrative situation.
Among the actions carried out by the entity are the distribution of water, food, clothing, and hygiene products, in addition to providing wound care, first aid, and accompaniment to healthcare centers. Its volunteers also offer information on legal procedures and collect testimonies from people who claim to have suffered violence during their displacements or in their contacts with security forces.
This activity intensified after the massive entries of migrant people registered in Ceuta on July 30 and 31, 2026, when thousands of people were left in a situation of special vulnerability and different groups began to organize food distributions and assistance on the ground. No Name Kitchen and the Mutual Support Brigades participated in these tasks, although they are different organizations with their own structures. Both have publicly denounced actions they consider contrary to the rights of migrant people, which has also placed them at the center of various controversies related to the management of the crisis.
Why did the Civil Guard raid the No Name Kitchen headquarters
On October 22, the Civil Guard deployed an operation in two facilities linked to support groups for migrants. The agents searched a building located on Argentina Street, in the Almadraba area, used as headquarters and residence by members of No Name Kitchen, and another property in the Tarajal industrial estate, used by the Mutual Support Brigades. The action was judicially authorized and took place within the framework of an investigation into the possible possession and distribution of dangerous objects and narcotic substances.
According to the judicial order of October 21, to which El País had access, the investigations are based, among other elements, on the statements of two witnesses who claim to have received pepper sprays and knives in the investigated spaces. One of them identified the person who allegedly handed him a knife and provided material that the investigators consider relevant to clarify the facts. The investigation also seeks to determine whether any actions were taken to incite migrant people to confront members of the State Security Forces and Corps.
The judicial authorization allowed the agents to search for weapons, flammable materials, narcotic substances, documentation, and electronic devices that could be related to the investigated facts. However, the existence of sufficient evidence to order a search does not mean that the accusations are proven nor does it establish by itself the criminal responsibility of the affected persons or entities.
Two detained, later released: what is their relationship with the NGO
The operation resulted in two arrests, corresponding to a man and a woman, who were initially presented by different police sources as members of No Name Kitchen. The entity rejected that connection from the very beginning and assured that no one from their team had been arrested.
Subsequently, the Mutual Support Brigades confirmed that the two arrested belong to their collective, according to information published on October 24 by EFE, which also reported the confirmation from judicial sources. Both were released on conditional measures after appearing before the judicial authority, despite the Prosecutor's Office having requested their imprisonment. The investigated individuals have denied their involvement in the alleged supply of pepper spray to carry out attacks against members of the security forces.
The investigation remains open and must clarify both the origin and possible destination of the materials mentioned in the proceedings as well as the eventual individual responsibility of the investigated persons. It has not been judicially proven that No Name Kitchen, as an organization, distributed weapons or promoted assaults, so it is necessary to differentiate the registration of their facilities from the attribution of the crimes being investigated.
No Name Kitchen denies the accusations and reports irregularities in the search
After the police intervention, No Name Kitchen issued a statement rejecting having distributed weapons, explosives, or pepper spray aerosols. The organization stated that the agents did not find illegal objects in their facilities and defended that their activity is limited to humanitarian aid, care for vulnerable people, and legal accompaniment.
The entity also reported alleged irregularities during the search, including forced entry into the property, the immobilization of members of their team, and the lack of sufficient information about certain seized items. According to their version, the agents took mobile phones and computers without providing the documentation they consider necessary to identify the seized material.
The collective interprets the operation as part of a "campaign of criminalization" related to the complaints it has filed about possible abuses against migrant people in Ceuta. For this reason, it has announced its intention to undertake legal actions against the actions it considers unjustified and against the information that, in its opinion, has spread false accusations about its work. These statements correspond to the organization's version and do not imply that the reported irregularities have been judicially substantiated.
No Name Kitchen has also assured that it will maintain its assistance activities in Ceuta, while the investigation affecting the registered facilities continues. The case occurs in a context that is especially sensitive for the autonomous city, marked by the consequences of the migration crisis of the summer, the demands for greater security, and the complaints from various social entities about the treatment received by migrant people.
Thus, No Name Kitchen maintains a dual presence in Ceuta: as a humanitarian assistance organization and as a collective that documents and denounces possible violations of rights at the border. Its activity and the judicial procedure opened after the searches on October 22 have placed the entity at the center of a debate that combines migration policy, security, and fundamental rights. The investigation must determine whether criminal conduct existed and, if so, who was responsible.