Sánchez Faces the Second Chamber

Pedro Sánchez entered one of Spain’s most heated parliamentary sessions in recent years largely on his own. He had asked to appear before Congress to explain the situation in Ceuta, but the opposition was waiting to accuse him of “betrayal,” while none of his parliamentary allies appeared ready to offer him full support.

The previous day, demonstrations had taken place in major Spanish municipalities in solidarity with Ceuta. Called by the People’s Party and Vox, the protests became a broader expression of anger against the government. The parliamentary debate that followed was harsh, tense and unusually direct. Every major position was voiced openly, leaving little room for anyone to claim that public sentiment had failed to reach Spain’s Parliament.

Sánchez’s caution toward Morocco has left him isolated during the crisis. Vox accused him of “betrayal,” while the People’s Party said he was acting under Moroccan blackmail. His permanent and occasional allies also criticized what they saw as excessive condescension toward the Moroccan regime. Few publicly gave him the benefit of the doubt or accepted that caution might be the best way to avoid worsening the situation in Ceuta and across Spain.

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The argument over Morocco’s role was sharpened by another emergency. As Sánchez was finishing his opening remarks on Thursday morning, news alerts reported that a drifting boat had been found near the Canary Islands. Eighty of its original 120 occupants had died during a 26-day voyage from Gambia. Only 40 people were rescued alive, including several children among the dead.

The deaths added to those recorded on July 30 and 31, when people trying to swim from Morocco to Ceuta also died. Together, the two episodes accounted for 220 deaths, the article said. Yet those victims occupied an almost invisible place in Spain’s heated public debate, despite illustrating the dramatic and deeply difficult migration reality facing the country.

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betrayal