Hundreds of thousands of citizens have gathered this Wednesday afternoon in front of the town halls of numerous Spanish cities. Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza, Seville, and Bilbao have seen their main squares and avenues filled with people demanding solutions to the crisis facing the autonomous city of Ceuta after the arrival of more than 70,000 people on July 30 and 31.
In Barcelona, around 1,500 attendees have gathered in the Sant Jaume square, in front of the Town Hall and the Palau de la Generalitat, according to the Urban Guard. Leaders from the PP have attended the call, including the Deputy Secretary of Economy and Sustainable Development, Alberto Nadal, and the party leader in Barcelona, Daniel Sirera. The spokesperson for Vox in the Parliament, Joan Garriga, has also participated.
The delegations of both formations have remained separated within the square, with their own banners. Members of Núcleo Nacional and some people dressed in legionnaire uniforms have also been seen in the vicinity.
During the gathering, slogans against the President of the Government such as "Pedro Sánchez son of a bitch" and "Pedro Sánchez to prison" were heard, along with other proclamations like "Ceuta is not for sale, Ceuta is defended" or "Christian Spain and not Muslim."
Madrid: disparity in the count of attendees
In Madrid, the Government Delegation has estimated the participants at 50,000, while the Town Hall has raised the attendance to 150,000 people. All of them have demonstrated in support of Ceuta and the Ceutíes, shouting "Ceuta is not for sale, Ceuta is defended."
The gathered have expressed their rejection of the Government's actions in response to the migratory crisis in the autonomous city, demanding that "Ceuta is not given away" and calling for Sánchez's resignation, in addition to asking for possible criminal responsibilities.
Present at the event were the president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo; the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal; the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso; and the mayor of the capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, who was in charge of reading a manifesto in support of Ceuta. The three leaders carried and waved Ceutí flags as a gesture of support.
Seville and Málaga: tens of thousands of attendees
In Seville, the city councilor has participated in the rally in solidarity with Ceuta, which gathered around 40,000 people. During his speech, he emphasized that "Seville is with you, Ceuta."
In Málaga capital, about 50,000 people have joined the mobilization. Among the attendees was the third vice president and counselor of Economy, Finance, and European Funds of the Junta de Andalucía, Carolina España, along with other institutional officials. España criticized that the Government "has not been up to the task" with Ceuta and stressed: "We will not leave it alone."
Zaragoza: the Plaza del Pilar, crowded
In Zaragoza, nearly 25,000 people have filled the Plaza del Pilar to show their support for Ceuta and demand a state response, as well as a firm commitment from the European Union (EU) in defending the borders against migratory pressure, considering that the autonomous city "cannot alone bear the consequences of a situation that affects all of Spain and Europe."
The mayor of Zaragoza, Natalia Chueca, has read a manifesto in which she stated that "Ceuta is not alone" and that "what happened is not a migratory problem." "When a Spanish border is put under pressure, all of Spain is put under pressure," Chueca emphasized during her speech.
Valencia: more than 50,000 people clog the center
The protest in Valencia was attended by the head of the Consell, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, and the mayor of the capital, María José Catalá. The Plaza del Ayuntamiento has become too small for the attendance of "more than 50,000" people, according to the organizers.
Among the slogans chanted in Valencia stand out "Long live Spain," "Government resign," "Spain yes, Morocco no," "Ceuta united will never be defeated," "I am Spanish, Spanish, Spanish," "Marlaska, understand that Ceuta is not for sale," "Ceuta defends itself, Ceuta is not for sale." During the event, the national anthem, the anthem of Ceuta, and the anthem of the Comunitat Valenciana were played.
Along with numerous flags of Spain and some Burgundy Crosses, the protesters displayed banners with messages such as "Ceuta is at the limit of the new normal" or "a caballa never surrenders," in the hands of a young Ceutí resident in the city. Posters with the face of the President of the Government placed upside down were also seen.
Bilbao: concentration in front of the City Hall
In Bilbao, about 3,000 people have joined the call of the FEMP in front of the City Hall, in support of Ceuta, with the participation of representatives from the PP and Vox.
Among the attendees were the president of the PP of Bizkaia, Amaya Fernández, the popular spokesperson in the City Hall of Bilbao, Esther Martínez, other municipal and regional officials of the party, and the president of Vox in Bizkaia, Féliz Estévez. Many of them carried flags of Spain and chanted slogans against the president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and against the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, such as "Pedro resign, Spain doesn't want you" and "This is not a crisis, it is an invasion".