The images about Ceuta are repeated once again. They show thousands of young people arriving by sea, exhausted, but also families and even babies. We see how the Civil Guard is unable to do anything, paralyzed by what most media outlets do not hesitate to call an "avalanche". Beyond the beach, we know of overwhelmed reception centers and hundreds of people sleeping rough. Images of closed shops also arrive, of a completely paralyzed city.In this context, Ceuta is requesting the declaration of a national emergency while the Spanish government continues to praise the Moroccan "exemplary collaboration" and the Moroccan government remains silent. All in all, a déjà-vu. It seems incredible how the staging of chaos can follow such a precise pattern.But where we should focus our attention is on the causes and consequences of this theatricalization. Among the causes, what makes it possible is the willingness of thousands of young people to jump to the other side at any moment. Many of them do not notify their families until they have already arrived. Some come from afar. They are willing to leave everything because deep down they feel they are leaving nothing behind. Some do not work or study. Others are young people with studies but with few future prospects.Their demands became clear with the mobilizations of the so-called "Gen Z" during the autumn of 2025, which denounced the deterioration of public services (especially healthcare and education), youth unemployment, and corruption. As the Bulgarian political scientist Ivan Krastev recalls, "when you can't change the government, you change geography".

On Thursday afternoon, after understanding that the massive entry of young Moroccans into Ceuta was, above all, a political move, from ARA we contacted several experts in the region to try to decipher the reason for now. The response from all of them was that it was too early to have clear clues. I particularly liked the message that one of them conveyed to me: "More than me, the questions should be asked to Morocco".

While Morocco rushes to build football stadiums for the upcoming World Cup, thousands of its citizens are trying to leave the country to earn a better future. Among the images from these days of the Tarajal breakwater, families with small children clinging to floats or toy vests draw attention. Don't forget that on this very beach, in 2014, about fifteen young sub-Saharan Africans drowned while the Spanish police fired rubber bullets at them.

A week has passed since Pedro Sánchez traveled to Algeria to try to make peace and re-establish political and economic relations that would ensure, above all, gas purchases. Relations had broken down after Spain accepted Morocco's plan for the Sahara, which disregarded the claim for self-determination and settled for simple autonomy. And this Spanish capitulation, unforgivable to the Algerians, came a few years after, in 2021, Spain's reception of Brahim Ghali, head of the Polisario Front, caused a crisis with Morocco that ended with the also illegal entry of 8,000 Moroccans through the Ceuta border. It is these antecedents that make us suspect that behind what is happening these days in Ceuta there is something more than the will of some young people to force their entry into Europe. Although it is difficult to believe that this could happen without, at least, the passivity of the Moroccan side, officially relations between Spain and Morocco are currently good and cooperation is maintained.

A serious migratory crisis. This is how the media and numerous political figures describe the latest mass arrival of migrants in the city of Ceuta, which has not only left dozens dead and overwhelmed the territory's assistance services, but has also had an international impact. But, beyond a spontaneous situation, the truth is that these events are just another episode in a chronology that goes back years. To fully understand the importance of these events, ARA traces the long history of the border crossing between Spain and Morocco:

Spain has closed a political agreement with Algeria this Monday to increase gas imports from that country by 10%, which exemplifies the full recovery of bilateral dialogue after the crisis over the Spanish position on Western Sahara, a strategic ally of Algeria. The agreement, according to sources from the Spanish government, was signed during the visit of the head of the Spanish executive, Pedro Sánchez, to Algiers, during which he met with the country's president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and with the presence of Spanish companies from the sector. In a joint appearance, both highlighted the relevance of this meeting initiating a new stage in bilateral relations with the aim of signing more gas imports, but also forging close cooperation in many political, economic, and commercial areas. In fact, Sánchez stressed that "the economic relationship goes far beyond energy" and expressed the desire to "continue promoting the presence and investment" of Spanish companies in Algeria in sectors such as agribusiness, food, infrastructure, or services. Thus, the first vice-president and Minister of Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen, held a meeting with representatives of these companies prior to the bilateral meeting with Tebuen.

"The snail no longer sticks out its horn, it no longer climbs the mountain. The snail no longer brings wine and a Moroccan crushed it", sings a young man, inside a car while with other friends. "We are young Catalans with a reputation for being traffickers", he intones in another video. He is Naim Smaili, a young son of Moroccans who has accumulated millions of views on TikTok by covering Catalan children's songs and placing, with humor, anti-racist messages.

The Moroccan journalist Ali Lmrabet, a neighbor from Barcelona, who had been detained since Sunday, has been released, as announced by the Casablanca Prosecutor's Office. "After reviewing and studying the various procedural documents, completing the investigation, and carrying out the necessary technical tests, the Prosecutor's Office has decided to release the individual and return the items that were confiscated from him, namely, two computers, a storage device, and a mobile phone," the statement details. Lmrabet has been interrogated and a medical examination has been performed on him. The investigation continues, but he has been informed that he can leave the country.

Moroccan journalist Ali Lmrabet, who has lived in Barcelona for more than twenty years, was arrested this Sunday in Morocco after landing at Tangier International Airport. According to his wife, Laura Feliu, dean of the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Barcelona, who spoke to ARA, the journalist has been transferred to the National Brigade of Judicial Police in Casablanca, and the charges against him have not been communicated.

The result of the CEO survey puts numbers to a reality that we have all felt on the street, that of the growing voting intention of many people towards Aliança Catalana. What happens is that these numbers are -or would be, rather- a political tsunami and would represent a new page in the history of Catalan society.Going from the two deputies they have now to 23-25 as the CEO says is a tsunami. And for Junts, going from 35 to 13-18 is also one.When a party's main message is as basic as “Save Catalonia” and it is formulated by a leader who is not at all empathetic, at the head of an unknown team, and, even so, their electoral expectations skyrocket, it means that they have connected with the real or suggested discontents of many people, in relation to insecurity in the streets, Islamic radicalism, “massive” immigration, the emigration of well-prepared young Catalans, the decline of the language or fiscal plunder. Many Catalans feel – and what is worse, notice – that the country is slipping through their fingers. And pay attention, because the diagnosis has found a new centrality in which voters from the integrating Catalanism of Junts and Convergència to the bullfighting and Vox Legion Spanish nationalists have come to coincide. 1 out of every 3 votes that Aliança Catalana would win would come from Junts, and 1 out of every 4 votes would come from Vox, united by the flag of Islamophobia. The current parliamentary majority of PSC, Esquerra, Comuns would barely hold on, with the PSC dropping from 42 to 36-38. The government of appeasement, the one of management, is not being sufficient, among other things because the management is clearly improvable.That Aliança Catalana has detected the causes of discontent does not mean it has the capacity to remedy them. In fact, far-right parties are specialists in identifying culprits, but they are not as effective when it comes to finding solutions; on the contrary, because there can be a very short step from harshness to hatred that breaks societies. And with hatred, we are heading towards a new social fracture. Look at the report by Sebastián Marín, about how about 400 people of Moroccan origin gathered last night in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat to follow France-Morocco in the World Cup, in a meeting organized by the Moroccan consulate in Barcelona. Let's take it as a phenomenon: we cannot confuse the effects of radical Islamism, or the crime associated with the poverty of some immigrants, with living alongside neighbors of the Islamic faith. And the far-right, as we know, mixes everything up.The CEO's survey implicates Junts and within Junts, President Puigdemont. He should have been able to live in Catalonia for months now, under the amnesty law, but the judiciary has blocked it. This harms the expectations of a party that heavily relies on the almost iconic figure of the president in exile. At the same time, it is evident that we have gone from a Puigdemont with political initiative, who moved around Europe and overcame arrests and was very present in the media to direct the message, to a Puigdemont who basically only speaks on social media, with an often resentful tone, marked by the almost nine years of exile, the poor results of the negotiation with the PSOE, which conveys the idea that he doesn't care about the PP or the PSOE, because for Catalonia's purposes they are the same. Puigdemont had the status of a political rock star. Today, Aliança Catalana is acting as a substitute for the interest in politics, for the emotional vote, that the Process represented. And Junts will not be able to address it effectively if it does not stop being a party angry with the world (for whatever reason it may have) and begins to generate confidence and pride among the people.

Hours before the initial whistle, in the streets of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat there was no room for doubt regarding the World Cup quarter-final duel between France and Morocco. Minute by minute, the red jerseys of the Atlas Lions colored the neighborhoods of Florida and Torrassa, where Hakimi and Brahim Díaz competed to occupy the backs of the youngest, who imitated their idols with a ball at their feet. Among all these jerseys, some from the Spanish national team with the name of Lamine Yamal, also of Moroccan origin, also stood out.

The round of 16 of the World Cup has seen two of the tournament's biggest surprises with the eliminations of Germany and the Netherlands. Paraguay has beaten the mannschaft on penalties after a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes of play between regulation time and extra time, and Morocco also forced extra time with a goal in added time against the Dutch and also ended up winning from eleven meters, which unleashed euphoria among North African fans.

"The other day a photo of him came up on Facebook and I told my wife: ‘This is the boy I was telling you about. He was here with us and look how far he’s come.’ For us it’s a pride, an immense joy. I remember when he used to arrive at the field with the ball under his arm,’ says Paco Garzón (Segovia, 1955) with a smile. For many years he was the president of Club Deportivo Can Parellada, the team from the Terrassa neighborhood that saw one of the protagonists of this World Cup grow up. It’s Ismael Saibari (Terrassa, 2001), scorer of Morocco’s two goals. He has been the MVP of the Eredivisie with PSV Eindhoven and his move to Bayern Munich for 50 million euros is already a done deal.

Throughout her life, writer Laila Karrouch (Nador, Morocco, 1977) has had to unlearn and relearn a series of things that were instilled in her from childhood. "I come from a culture where we have learned things that don't fit with the life I have here. Over time, I have sought forgiveness from the people I have constantly judged. I've spent many years shedding labels, and it's unfair for me to put them on others," reflects Karrouch. Around this intimate exercise, the writer has built the novel Swear You'll Return (Univers), a love story between two women in the Rif in the 80s and 90s. "Homosexuality between women in the Muslim world is taboo, it's not talked about. But different love has always existed and will always exist. Denying it is absurd," argues the author.

Between April and May 1954, one of the most ambitious expeditions of the Ethnological Museum of Barcelona, inaugurated in 1949, was organized in the protectorate of Morocco. The sculptor Eudald Serra, who was part of the expedition, wanted to model a nude bust, but local law and morals made it impossible to find any woman who would pose. Serra did not give up; he simply looked where colonial power was absolute. With the collaboration of the Spanish authorities, he visited prisons, reformatories, and "public houses." The use of sex workers as models was systematic and deliberate in many campaigns, taking advantage of their extreme vulnerability in a context of colonial domination.

Scandal in African football. The Appeals Board of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) ruled today that Senegal is no longer the champion of the last African Nations Cup. Morocco, the team that lost the final, is now the new champion. The Board declared Senegal forfeited the final, which they had won 1-0 in extra time, considering that the team abandoned the match and therefore lost 3-0.

Pedro Sánchez embarked on a tour of West Africa in August 2024 with a stated objective: to combat irregular immigration. He held bilateral meetings with the presidents of Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania, after having strengthened ties with Morocco. At that time, migratory pressure on the Canary Islands had increased substantially, and the Spanish government took action to address the situation. A year and a half later, the figures have changed. While there was a peak in arrivals via the Canary Islands in 2023 and 2024, the numbers began to decline from 2025 onward. However, the decrease in arrivals via the Canary Islands coincided with an increase in arrivals via the Balearic Islands.

The decisive goal in the men's Africa Cup of Nations could be scored by a boy born in Terrassa: Ismael Saibari. This Sunday night, Senegal and Morocco will play a first-ever final in this competition, which began in 1957 when only three countries were independent. Today, as then, the Africa Cup of Nations serves to illustrate what is happening on the continent.

2025 was a record-breaking year for the Catalan labor market, thanks in part to the influx of foreign workers. This group ended the year with a total of 697,103 registered with Social Security, the highest figure ever recorded for a year-end and 4.2% higher than in 2024. According to figures published this Friday by the Spanish Ministry of Labor, the number of these workers has increased by 368,406 over the last decade (+88.9%).

As soon as the decisive penalty kick by a Moroccan player found the back of the net, pandemonium erupted in downtown Rabat. Morocco had defeated Nigeria in the semifinals and, after a 50-year drought, could once again be crowned champions of the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN). Moreover, this time the title could be won in front of their home crowd, as the final against Senegal is this Sunday in Rabat. Within minutes, thousands of euphoric fans gathered on Mohamed V Avenue in the capital to celebrate the victory. Amidst the honking of car horns and the blaring of trumpets, the noise was deafening. the social protests of the GenZ 212 movement that shook the country last October