Ceuta Crisis Escalates as 70 Migrants Allegedly Attack Soldiers and Locals Block Red Cross Aid

Another tension in Ceuta, the Spanish exclave, arose after about 70 migrants attacked a military vehicle and demonstrators blocked Red Cross aid. Police said the migrants, armed with rocks and other objects, 'ambushed' a military vehicle with four soldiers.

Police detained 12 Moroccan migrants involved in the alleged assault. A soldier suffered minor injuries after being hit with a stone. 'The tension in the city of Ceuta is very high,' said Kissy Chandiramani, the city's finance councilor.

'We Feel Abandoned'

Chandiramani said the city felt abandoned. It has been a month since around 72,000 Moroccans crossed to the Spanish territory of Ceuta. Most went back to the African territory but between 3,500 and 7,000 migrants remain. Right-wing leaders believe the number is around 10,000.

About 500 unaccompanied minor girls are set to be transferred to the mainland. Locals are protesting the situation as they want the migrants to be returned to Morocco. Ceuta, at 18 square kilometers, is small. Residents are complaining of security and hygiene issues with the presence of the migrants.

Demonstrators were getting closer to the migrants, so the police intervened. Some protesters also set the migrants' belongings on fire. Others blocked Red Cross vehicles from reaching the tent city, the temporary living area for migrants. The Red Cross distributes food and other necessities to the migrants.

'They should leave,' the protesters chanted. 'Out with the Red Cross,' some said while blocking the organisation. Police had to fire tear gas to prevent confrontation between the protesters and migrants.

Protesters vs Migrants

'Something very profound has broken in our society if the Red Cross is prevented from distributing food to people who have nothing,' said Ione Belarra Urteaga, a member of the Congress of Deputies, on social media. 'I am convinced that the majority of our people are not like that, neither in Ceuta nor on the peninsula. That majority has to raise its voice.'

Irene Montero, a Member of the European Parliament, shared videos of the protestors. 'Nazis from all over Spain are heading to Ceuta armed with sticks to go out and "hunt" migrants, and the police are letting them do it,' she said on social media.

'With the order to beat migrants and grant impunity to racists, the Government is sending a dangerous message: migrants are not people, being a Nazi is fine,' she also said.

The Spanish government is following legal proceedings in the return of migrants to Morocco. Minors cannot be returned without proper custody. Some are being evaluated to determine if they need mandatory international asylum. The situation has become a political talking point as well.

'People in Ceuta have been putting up with this alone for a month,' said Alberto Núñez Feijóo, head of the opposition People's Party. 'Nothing was done to prevent the invasion...and nothing is being done to stop the public-order crisis that is worsening every day.'

The government recently approved €25 million (£21.4 million / $29 million) in additional funding. Ceuta residents claim that the situation is getting worse every day. The small exclave has a population of 84,000.