Thousands of people demonstrated in Madrid on Saturday against what they described as the Spanish government's failure to manage the massive influx of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in July, demanding early general elections.
During a march through the center of the Spanish capital, protesters chanted, waving Spanish flags, "Ceuta is not for sale, Ceuta must be defended."
Tensions have remained high since more than 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta on July 30 and 31. Although most of the migrants returned within hours of arriving in the Spanish enclave, thousands have remained there for weeks, straining the small city's resources and creating a political crisis for Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
The demonstration was organized by the right-wing Spanish Civil Society Platform and supported by the People's Party (conservative right) and the far-right Vox party.
The central government's representative in the Madrid region estimated the number of participants at around 20,000, while organizers claimed 180,000 people took part in the demonstration.
A statement published by the platform called for early general elections by November 15, the return of all migrants who entered Ceuta to Morocco, and the trial of Sánchez for "treason."
"There is clear negligence," People's Party spokesman Miguel Telado told reporters during the demonstration, adding that "the majority of Spaniards want elections immediately." The next general election in Spain is scheduled for August 2027.
The government intends to approve a decree during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday to expedite the return of migrants from Ceuta to Morocco, according to the daily newspaper El País on Saturday.
In response, Vox party leader Santiago Abascal said, "No one can trust this government's ability to take any action."
When asked about the report, Abascal told reporters during his participation in the demonstration, "This government has failed to do anything during this entire period."
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