The PP and Vox will fully engage this Wednesday in the concentrations in support of Ceuta called by the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), following the massive entry of more than 70,000 migrants at the end of July. The leaders of both formations, Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Santiago Abascal, will participate in the protest planned in the capital, Madrid.
From the Government and the PSOE, they have distanced themselves from these mobilizations —which will take place at 8:00 PM in front of town halls across the country— and accuse the PP of "manipulating" the FEMP to promote concentrations that, according to the socialists, are not called for Ceuta but "against Sánchez".
"Spanishness demands respect for institutions and not to instrumentalize them," stated the spokesperson minister, Elma Saiz, after the Council of Ministers, referring to the call from the FEMP, chaired by the 'popular' María José García Pelayo, mayor of Jerez. Despite the directive from Ferraz, some socialist mayors and councilors will distance themselves and support these concentrations or promote their own calls.
The FEMP calls for support from all municipalities for Ceuta
The FEMP emphasized this Tuesday that in "such difficult" times as those Ceuta is going through, it is "important to demonstrate the commitment and unity of Spanish municipalism." Therefore, it has asked all town halls to express their "solidarity and support for Ceuta and for the people of Ceuta and for the Day of Ceuta to be a demonstration of common sense and humanity."
"Ceuta, you are not alone," the organization wrote on its official account on the social network X, where it disseminates the letter from the president of the autonomous city, Juan Vivas, in which he calls for massive participation in the call because, when a part of Spain is attacked, "the whole of Spain is attacked."
According to Vivas, Ceuta has suffered an "unprecedented assault" against its territory and sovereignty. "What is at stake is the cause of Ceuta, which, ultimately, is the cause of all Spain," he stated, insisting that the territorial integrity of the country "is not divisible or separable" and that any attack on a part of the national territory implies an aggression against the whole of Spain.
PP leaders spread across several provinces
Feijóo, who in the morning will visit Ceuta on the occasion of the institutional celebration of the city, will attend the FEMP concentration in the Plaza de Cibeles in the afternoon, accompanied by the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida.
Furthermore, the deputy secretaries and spokespersons of the PP will be distributed across different provinces. The general secretary, Miguel Tellado, will be in Toledo; the deputy secretary of Institutional Regeneration, Cuca Gamarra, will go to Logroño; the deputy secretary of Sectoral Coordination, Alma Ezcurra, will participate from Brussels; and the person in charge of Social Policy, Carmen Fúnez, will join the one in Ciudad Real.
Likewise, the deputy secretary of Autonomic and Local Policy, Elías Bendodo, will attend the concentration in Alcobendas (Madrid); the person in charge of Economy, Alberto Nadal, will travel to Barcelona; the deputy secretary of Education, Jaime de los Santos, will go to Valencia; the person in charge of Finance, Juan Bravo, will be in Ceuta; and the spokespersons in Congress and the Senate, Ester Muñoz and Alicia García, will participate in the calls in Alcalá de Henares and Ávila, respectively, as indicated to Europa Press by 'popular' sources.
The spokesperson for the Popular Group in Congress has encouraged citizens to support these concentrations and has labeled it "regrettable" that the PSOE distances itself from the call and tries to hinder its mayors. According to Muñoz, it is an appointment "to defend Ceuta and the Ceutans" and "to tell the Government that its priority must be to defend Spain and not third countries."
Vox lashes out at the "timidity" of the PP
For her part, the spokesperson for Vox in Congress, Pepa Millán, has criticized the "timidity" of the PP regarding this call and has warned that her party will not only support the Ceutans but will also take the opportunity to point out those responsible for the situation: Morocco and the Government of Pedro Sánchez. "They are not for singing carols," she exclaimed.
Millán has called "on all Spaniards" to take to the streets in support of Ceuta and its inhabitants. "Tomorrow we have to take to the streets to denounce this Government, to support Ceuta and to say that Ceuta does not give up," she assured at a press conference in Congress.