The Unified Association of Civil Guards (AUGC) has demanded this Thursday "an iron fist" against those responsible for the aggression suffered early in the morning by four soldiers in the Benzú area and has asked the Government for a "forceful" response to try to curb the escalation of violence that, in their view, has been experienced in Ceuta since the beginning of the current migration crisis.
In a public statement, the organization condemned the attack against four members of the Army, injured after being surprised by a group of between 30 and 40 migrants while heading to a surveillance point in Benzú. Following these events, the National Police and the Civil Guard have arrested twelve people and are continuing investigations to identify and arrest the rest of the alleged participants in the ambush.
AUGC has expressed its support for the soldiers deployed at the border, emphasizing that they acted in a scenario of "extreme difficulty," being stoned with large rocks and forced to abandon the official vehicle to take cover.
The association has warned that this episode is framed within a climate of growing social tension and has recalled that, in addition to members of the security forces and the Army, several journalists and media workers have reported in recent weeks insults, shoves, and assaults while carrying out their reporting work on the ground.
According to AUGC, the prolongation of the migration crisis is fueling an increasing sense of insecurity among residents, which has led residents from different neighborhoods to coordinate through messaging groups in response to what they perceive as an insufficient response from the institutions.
Despite this scenario, the organization has called for calm and urged the population to allow the security forces to work, which it considers essential to maintain control of the situation on the street.
At the same time, it has demanded a firm action against those who commit assaults against agents or soldiers. In this regard, it has argued that those who attack those performing security functions must face the corresponding legal consequences and has called for the adoption of measures to prevent similar episodes from recurring.
The association has also reiterated its demand for more human and material resources for Ceuta, considering that the current resources are insufficient to face a situation that has been dragging on for weeks. AUGC has conveyed its support to the Ceuta citizens and has insisted that the city requires greater involvement from the administrations to tackle a crisis that, it claims, continues to exert strong pressure on public services and security devices.