Video: Clashes broke out in Ceuta between local residents and the police
In the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in northern Africa, riots broke out on Thursday involving local residents and law enforcement officers. The clashes occurred a month after a massive influx of migrants from Morocco.
Police dispersed protesters on the beach after a group of demonstrators entered the area where migrants were sleeping. During the unrest, some items on the beach were set on fire.
Also on Thursday, dozens of protesters staged a picket to temporarily block Red Cross vehicles from reaching the beach, where they were to distribute food to hundreds of migrants remaining in the area.
The demonstrators, many of whom were waving Spanish flags, chanted “They must leave” and “Down with the Red Cross” until police dispersed them.
These incidents occurred after police used tear gas late Wednesday to prevent a confrontation between protesters and migrants who had set up camp on the beach.
In Ceuta, Spain, residents are blocking the Red Cross in an attempt to prevent food deliveries to illegal Moroccan migrants staying in the city. The incident comes amid growing local anger following the influx of migrants from Morocco and clashes around migrant camps along the… https://t.co/uZ8FjodzVo pic.twitter.com/TOfulT1f4c
— DDF NEWS (@ddfmarketing1) August 28, 2026
Residents of Ceuta, which covers an area of just 18 square kilometers, regularly take to the streets to protest the deteriorating security and sanitation conditions caused by the influx of migrants.
Tensions escalated after a military vehicle carrying four soldiers was ambushed early Thursday morning: about 70 migrants pelted it with rocks and other objects.
The soldiers retreated and called the police for assistance. Law enforcement officers detained 12 migrants, all of whom are Moroccan citizens.
This was reported by the AFP news agency.
As a reminder, in Ceuta, protesters set fire to parts of a migrant camp and clashed with police.
More than 50,000 migrants have entered the Spanish city of Ceuta illegally.
