Spain Erupts in Protests Over Migrant Surge Into Ceuta

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Spain to protest the government's handling of a mass migrant crossing into the Spanish territory of Ceuta.

According to Fox News, authorities estimated that 50,000 people demonstrated in Madrid alone on Wednesday, with protesters directing much of their anger at Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez as tensions continued to rise over the migration crisis in the North African enclave.

The demonstrations were followed by hours of unrest, with gunshots and explosions reportedly heard throughout the night.

Protesters carried Spanish flags and signs with messages including, "A united Ceuta will never be defeated," "Sánchez to prison," and "Invaders — go home!"

Spain is still dealing with the aftermath of a surge in which more than 70,000 foreign migrants crossed from neighboring Morocco in late July. Thousands of those migrants remain in Spanish territory.

Ceuta regional leader Juan Jesús Vivas rejected the characterization of the incident as simply a migration crisis.

"What happened to us was not a migratory crisis," Vivas said Wednesday. "What happened was the violation of Spain's territorial integrity."

Tensions had already escalated in Ceuta in recent days. Residents tore down and burned makeshift migrant shelters, while demonstrators carrying Spanish flags moved toward beachside migrant camps, according to Spain's public broadcaster RTVE and news agency EFE.

Police intervened to keep protesters and migrants apart.

Sánchez has also faced criticism over his response to the situation. He has blamed Russia and Israel for helping amplify the migration crisis through social media, arguing that the July surge followed a misinterpretation of a Spanish Supreme Court ruling.

Sánchez told radio station SER that research by the European Union's diplomatic service indicated Russian and Israeli networks had helped spread disinformation alongside far-right groups.

Russia rejected the accusation. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters, "Without facts, without materials backed up by numbers, dates, names, there is simply nothing to talk about."

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar also pushed back, accusing Sánchez of "lying shamelessly." In a post on X, Sa'ar said the Spanish prime minister was trying to divert attention from domestic policy failures.

The protests have added to mounting political pressure on Sánchez as anger over migration continues to fuel demonstrations and clashes in Spain.

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