Spaniards gather outside Spain’s Miami consulate in support of Ceuta

Dozens of Spaniards gathered outside Spain’s Consulate General in Miami, carrying Spanish flags and signs reading “Miami with Ceuta.” The demonstration coincided with Ceuta Day and with rallies held in more than 800 locations across Spain under the slogan “Ceuta is not alone.”

“

When such a great injustice is committed and citizens are left so unprotected, one has to raise one's voice.

Esther, a woman from Melilla who has lived in the United States for 22 years, said people had to speak out when citizens were left unprotected in the face of what she called a major injustice. She said Ceuta and Melilla both faced insecurity, abandonment and fear, adding that the sovereignty of the two autonomous cities stood above political parties and ideologies.

The gathering in Coral Gables was organized by Spaniards living in Miami. Juan José Núñez, president of the People’s Party in the United States and one of the organizers, said it was the first such protest organized by Spaniards in the United States and the second outside Spain, after one in Brussels. He said the goal was for people in Ceuta to feel supported, even thousands of kilometers away, and accused the government of inaction before the mass entry.

“

The sovereignty of the territories of Ceuta and Melilla stands above any political party and any ideology.

The crisis began on July 30, when tens of thousands of migrants, mostly young Moroccans, entered Ceuta by swimming from the Moroccan coast. The Spanish government put the number of entries over the two days at more than 80,000. Most returned to Morocco in the following days, with more than 73,500 returns recorded by early August.

“

The most important thing is for the people of Ceuta to feel supported, to know that 7,000 kilometers away there are Spaniards fighting for what is happening.

Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres said 3,658 people had returned voluntarily since Aug. 10 and that 1,612 minors remained in Ceuta. Spain’s Interior Ministry estimated that about 5,000 migrants were still in the city, while the Ceuta government put the figure at between 8,000 and 9,000.

“

There is a before and an after to the Ceuta crisis.