The president of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), María José García-Pelayo, has reiterated her defense of the initiative to call for concentrations of support for Ceuta before the town halls of all Spain on September 2, coinciding with the day of the autonomous city. The mayor of Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) has insisted that "it is not a political issue" and has reproached those who criticize her for "creating a ridiculous debate" around this call.
García-Pelayo has emphasized that "it is not a concentration against anyone, but rather a concentration in favor of Ceuta and, of course, also in favor of the unity of Spain," highlighting that the objective of the proposal is to show institutional and social support for the city.
In relation to the objections regarding "the lack of consensus" on the initiative, the president of the FEMP has explained that she "found it unnecessary to pick up the phone" to consult beforehand with the different political parties, understanding that it is "a matter of humanity and common sense" that should elicit general support.
She has also recalled that, "every time there has been a tragedy in this country or in the world that has touched our souls, we have gathered and it has hardly been necessary to even call, within a minute everyone has said of course yes," defending that this type of response usually occurs spontaneously when there is a shared feeling.
In this line, she has stressed that Ceuta "needs us to set aside politics, ideologies, and unite everyone" and has reiterated that she made the call for the concentration "without bad intention," with the aim of contributing to stability and normalization in the city.
Likewise, she has stated that "I believe we need to work together and united so that normality arrives in Ceuta as soon as possible. That requires the return of the people who have illegally invaded Ceuta with all guarantees. We must thank the bodies and forces of state security, all the operations, all the NGOs that are working, we must support the Government of Ceuta a lot," valuing the work of all the involved devices.
Regarding the criticisms coming from the PSOE, García-Pelayo has pointed out that "it seems that they are using the FEMP to cover up the ineffectiveness and inefficiency of the Government of Spain with a smokescreen" and has warned that those who oppose the concentration "will have to explain the strategies they are using" in this context.
Finally, she has stated that "all Spaniards, whether from the PSOE, the PP, Sumar, or whatever political party they belong to, I am sure are united around Ceuta. Those who are left out, well it seems to be the political parties, but not the Spaniards," insisting that the call to concentrate aims to be a gesture of unity above the acronyms.