Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across Spain on Wednesday in solidarity with Ceuta, demanding stronger border controls and condemning Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s handling of the migration and security crisis that has gripped the Spanish enclave since more than 80,000 illegal migrants entered from Morocco at the end of July.
The demonstrations were held on Ceuta Day and followed a nationwide call by the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), which urged local authorities to rally under the message ‘Ceuta somos todos’ (‘We are all Ceuta’). Protesters carried Spanish and Ceuta flags and repeatedly chanted ‘Ceuta no se vende, Ceuta se defiende’ (‘Ceuta is not for sale, Ceuta will be defended’), while calls for Sánchez’s resignation were heard across several major demonstrations.
Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles drew 50,000 people according to the Government Delegation, while City Hall estimated 150,000. Right-wing opposition figures, including Partido Popular leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Vox leader Santiago Abascal, Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida, all joined the demonstration. Speaking at the protest, Almeida demanded the effective return of those who entered Ceuta illegally and called for Spain and the EU to defend the country’s borders.
Andalusia alone saw more than 160,000 participants, according to the Government Delegation, with demonstrations held across all eight provinces. Tens of thousands packed Zaragoza’s Plaza del Pilar, while thousands more rallied in the Basque Country, and large protests were held from Valencia and Murcia to Castilla y León, Galicia, Asturias, the Canary Islands, and the Balearics, across more than 400 locations nationwide.
Spanish World Cup winner and Barcelona midfielder Dani Olmo also voiced solidarity with Ceuta during a protest in his hometown of Terrassa, saying that ‘we are all with them’ and arguing that difficult moments should unite the country just as sporting triumphs do.
A separate demonstration outside the Congress of Deputies in Madrid ended in clashes between protesters and riot police, with social media footage showing authorities charging the crowd. Four people—two adults and two minors—were arrested, while four National Police officers were injured. Officers dispersed parts of the crowd with tear gas and rubber bullets.
Solidarity with Ceuta was not confined to Spain, as hundreds of MEPs and European Parliament staffers also gathered in Brussels. All right-wing groups were represented; EPP president Manfred Weber attended alongside EPP secretary-general Dolors Montserrat, Vox delegation leader Jorge Buxadé, Fratelli d’Italia delegation chief Carlo Fidanza, and representatives of the ECR, Patriots for Europe, and ESN. None of the left-wing groups of the EP showed up at the protest.
The protests came amid fresh evidence raising questions over Morocco’s role in the mass invasion. A National Police intelligence report submitted to the Audiencia Nacional described the incident as ‘planned’, rather than spontaneous, and said uniformed Moroccan gendarmes and plainclothes operatives had actively guided illegal migrants towards crossing points.
The findings emerged just two days after Sánchez categorically said there was ‘no information’ from Spanish security or intelligence services pointing to Moroccan involvement.
In Ceuta itself, initial estimates put turnout above 20,000, while organizers later claimed more than 25,000 participants in a city of around 84,000. Protesters demanded stronger border controls, the return of illegal migrants, additional state resources, and greater EU involvement in the crisis.
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