Hundreds of residents have taken to the streets of Ceuta this Tuesday to protest against the central Government's response to the migratory crisis that the autonomous city is experiencing and against the State's plans to use various local facilities to house migrants.
The mobilization began at 4:00 PM in front of the Coronel Fiscer barracks, one of the sites that the Executive plans to allocate for this purpose. The march was called after the draft of the Royal Decree was made known, with which the Government wants to declare the situation of interest for national security in Ceuta and launch a wide network of resources to assist those who remain in the city after the massive entry recorded at the end of July.
The list of spaces included in the document features the Coronel Fiscer barracks itself, several municipal sports centers, and the Military Hospital, a provision that has caused deep discontent among part of the Ceuta population.
Residents of El Sardinero, Parques de Ceuta, Puertas del Campo, Colonia Weil, and Avenida Lisboa, among other neighborhoods, have attended the concentration carrying flags of Spain and Ceuta, as well as banners. During the march, slogans against the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and against the Government delegate in Ceuta, Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano, were chanted, demanding their resignations.
At first, the concentration developed peacefully, with the presence of National Police forces to supervise the operation, although later some episodes of tension were experienced.
In the late afternoon, attendees began to spontaneously move through different streets with the intention of gathering in front of the Government Delegation starting at 8:00 PM.
The protest was initially driven by the socialist deputy in the Assembly of Ceuta, Melchor León, who has publicly called for Pérez Triano's resignation, who also holds the General Secretariat of the PSOE of Ceuta.
The minister Torres had not yet arrived in the city
The march continued afterwards to the vicinity of the Hotel Ulises, where the organizers claimed that the Minister of Territorial Policy and coordinator of the "single command" planned for Ceuta, Ángel Víctor Torres, was located.
Sources from the Government Delegation have denied that Torres was at that moment in the establishment and have indicated that his arrival in the autonomous city was scheduled for the night.
In the surroundings of the hotel, some participants have tried to access the interior by force, but the deployed agents have blocked the entrance. Subsequently, the protesters have divided into several groups and have continued the protest through different areas of Ceuta.
One of those groups has headed to La Ribera beach, in the city center, where some attendees have shouted at migrants using the public showers and have yelled slogans like "invaders, expulsion."
A draft that foresees a wide network of facilities
The origin of the protest is situated in the dissemination of the draft Royal Decree that proposes declaring the situation of interest for national security and establishing a single command to manage the migration crisis under the coordination of Ángel Víctor Torres.
The text proposes to employ different dependencies of the Ministry of Defense, including Loma Margarita, the Equestrian Center, the old flour factory, the old football field of the Cavalry barracks, and available areas of the Coronel Fiscer barracks, in addition to the Guano esplanade and the covered sports center of IES Puertas del Campo.
The list of resources also includes facilities owned by the autonomous city, such as the Loma Colmenar parking lot and the Military Hospital, currently ceded by Defense to the local Executive.
The draft also contemplates allocating to this device the covered sports centers of Santa Amelia, La Libertad, Antonio Campoamor, Guillermo Molina, and Díaz-Flor.
The content of the document has generated a special rejection among the attendees of the march, as it foresees the activation of these infrastructures to address the crisis without detailing measures on the return of migrants or specific mechanisms to expedite their departure from Ceuta.