Anger, fear, shock and compassion: Ceuta’s uncertain path back to normality

Anger, fear, shock and compassion: Ceuta’s uncertain path back to normality

Poinews.com – My arrival coincided with news of an impromptu protest against the government, so I quickly organized myself to document the event. Even though officials from the Interior Ministry were claiming nearly everyone had gone back to Morocco, the sentiment on the streets told a different story. People chanted slogans like “Ceuta is not for sale,” “Pedro Sánchez, resign!” and “Ceuta, united, will never be defeated!” while expressing feelings of betrayal and humiliation.

“This cannot be, Spain cannot have such a useless intelligence service that it has no idea what is going on in Ceuta,” one woman explained to me. She mentioned she hadn’t slept properly for two nights and had isolated herself at home with her granddaughters. Another participant, waving a Spanish flag, remarked, “This is a military city. The 3,000 soldiers we have should have been deployed to defend it.” A third voice added, “No one came out to say absolutely anything. At least to say what we are going to do. A plan. Nothing,” before launching into sharp criticism of how the government handled migration.

A Community on Edge

Beyond the anger, there was palpable anxiety. This fear was amplified by the fact that most of the newcomers were men. According to the Government Delegation, an unknown number of people remain scattered throughout Ceuta, including at least 1,000 children who wander beaches, streets, parks, and empty lots.

“There is no money in Morocco. That is why we came to Spain. But here we have been treated very badly,” one man told me as he walked aimlessly down a main thoroughfare at midday under 33°C heat. Another shared his story while heading toward the port: “My father, my whole family are poor. Now we are here and we try to get by. We sleep on the street. We are here, life is very hard, but…”

When I asked whether he intended to stay or return, he replied, “For now, here. I don’t know how long I can hold out here.”

The Human Cost

The constant presence of migrants creates a sense of vulnerability even among residents who consider themselves moderate and compassionate. “You feel afraid because everything gets out of control, you feel that the security forces cannot keep up,” one man said while playing with his dog. He continued, “For the safety of the people who live over there in Morocco and of those of us who live here, since a border has to be in place, it needs to be a solid one.”

State security forces were visibly deployed, yet this barely alleviated the tension. On the day I arrived, my camera recorded an operation involving migrants near one of Ceuta’s central beaches. Later, at the border, I observed others being removed from buses and escorted back to the exact locations where they had entered days earlier.

The crisis carries a heavy human toll. Spanish authorities report that at least 75 people drowned attempting to swim across the sea stretch near the border, which is now guarded by a floating barrier. There are concerns that additional victims may have been lost.

Compassion Amidst Uncertainty

Those who remain face difficult circumstances without reliable means of support. Since the crisis began, the NGO Luna Blanca has helped at least 4,000 individuals. During my afternoon of filming, the organization distributed 2,000 food portions in just two hours.

When I questioned coordinator Halima Ahmed Iacobi about potential criticism that such aid might encourage more arrivals, she responded firmly: “We are human first and foremost. We cannot allow people to die of hunger. So, where does humanity come in? What do we care about the pull factor?”

Do you know what the pull factor is? The pull factor is the rumours that spread on social media saying that when a migrant arrives in Spain a red carpet is rolled out, they are given 1,500 or 1,800 euros in benefits, every social benefit imaginable is opened up to them, with soup kitchens for their children. The only thing they still need to tell them is that they are given a car and a holiday flat as well. That is the pull factor.

I remained in Ceuta for under 30 hours, departing four days after the crisis erupted. Between indignation, fear, anguish, incomprehension, mistrust, bewilderment and compassion, the Autonomous City confronts a challenging journey toward normality.