The right finds in the crisis in Ceuta a vein to harden the anti-immigration discourse

MadridThe Spanish right and far-right – and also the European one – have found in the migratory crisis in Ceuta a vein to toughen the anti-immigration discourse and consequently to push for more extreme border control. In fact, it represents an opportunity for them to isolate Pedro Sánchez and his migratory policies with respect to the rest of the EU member states, which are convened this Tuesday for a meeting to address, precisely, this matter. The leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, has not only celebrated the position of countries like Italy, which after the migratory crisis has implemented more border controls; but has also stated that Donald Trump has "fallen short" when talking about Spanish policies "of the extreme left [which favor migration]". Abascal, who this Sunday has traveled for the first time to Ceuta, has demanded to "permanently militarize" the border, close it and that the army can act with "the necessary forcefulness".

Along the same lines, the PP has spoken so far. Its leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, stated that he "shared the concern" shown by different European leaders and has placed all the responsibility for what happened in Ceuta on Pedro Sánchez and measures such as the extraordinary regularization of migrants. He also asked, without entering into direct confrontation, for explanations to be demanded from Morocco.

Abascal and Ayuso raise the tone

"We are facing an invasion", Abascal stated this Sunday, raising the tone that Feijóo used yesterday, Saturday, when he described the events as "a premeditated occupation". The leader of the Spanish far-right has not hesitated to denounce the responsibility of the Alawite country: "It is an act of war promoted by Morocco and tolerated and permitted by Pedro Sánchez", Abascal affirmed. It should be remembered that Abascal's relationship with Mohammed VI's kingdom has always been subject to Vox's firm demand that Morocco "explicitly" recognize Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla. This "condition", in Vox's words, has always marked the tone and their approach towards Morocco.

Abascal's statement about Morocco and its role in the tragedy in Ceuta had not been shared by anyone in the PP until this Sunday. The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, pointed out that behind the crisis is Morocco's hand and the intention, in Ayuso's opinion, "to try to take [the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla] in the future". "I fear it is a test by Morocco and it is evident that it will escalate", Ayuso stated. She even spoke of a "rehearsal of their plans for Ceuta and Melilla".

Meanwhile, the Spanish government maintains that behind the crisis there are "mafias" that take advantage of and instrumentalize the vulnerability of many young migrants with "interested interpretations" of the latest Supreme Court ruling. A discourse that, for the moment, does not find many adherents in Europe.

Ultra agitators in Ceuta

The ultra agitator Vito Quiles and the leader of Se Acabó la Fiesta, Alvisa Pérez, have also moved to Ceuta. This Saturday they were evacuated by the National Police after being heckled by the city's residents, who pressured them to leave. Also, about twenty members of Núcelo Nacional, who had called a demonstration, were evacuated.

The delegate of the Spanish government in Ceuta, Miguel Ángel Pérez, has harshly criticized them this Sunday: "They are far-right groups who came [to Ceuta] with the sole objective of taking advantage of our difficulties to sow hatred, division, and fear," he denounced. But the same president of Ceuta, Juan Vivas (PP), has censured it: "Coexistence is an unacceptable red line." The ultra platform Se Acabó la Fiesta has called for a demonstration this Sunday afternoon in Madrid, in front of the Moroccan embassy, where representatives of Vox will also attend.