Tens of thousands attend right-wing protest over Ceuta migrant crisis

Thousands of people gathered in Madrid on Saturday to protest the national government’s migration policy and its response to the late-July mass arrival of migrants in Ceuta. The demonstration was organised by right-wing civil society group Sociedad Civil Española and publicly supported by both the mainstream conservative People's Party (PP) and the far-right Vox.

Organisers and authorities gave widely different estimates of the crowd size: the government put attendance at about 20,000, while the organisers claimed 180,000. Protesters accused Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his administration of failing to protect Ceuta’s borders and demanded an early general election to be held by mid-November; Spain’s next scheduled election is in August 2027. Vox leader Santiago Abascal went further, calling for Sánchez to face trial for treason and for the deportation of everyone who arrived in late July.

The protests follow an unprecedented surge on July 30 and 31 in which more than 70,000 people entered Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco; most were returned, but Spanish authorities estimate that between 6,000 and 10,000 migrants remain stranded on the enclave. The events in Ceuta resulted in chaotic scenes and the deaths of dozens of migrants, prompting criticism of how border control was handled.

In response to the incident, Sánchez has said Moroccan border control did not manage the situation adequately and that Spain has asked Rabat for explanations while an investigation continues. Spanish media reported that the government plans to approve a decree to accelerate the return of migrants from Ceuta to Morocco. Saturday’s march was the second held under the "March for Dignity" banner; a previous demonstration in late May drew, according to the government, about 40,000 people.