The anti-mass migration VOX party in Spain has called on the government to “permanently militarise” the Ceuta border with Morocco until attempts to “invade” the exclave by migrants cease.
The Socialist-led government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has touted efforts to remove most of the migrants from the North African territory and the installation of a floating barrier that will supposedly stem future attempts to storm the border, as was done by upwards of 60,000 people flooding over from Morocco earlier this week.
However, the complete failure to maintain border security for the Spanish exclave and the potential role of the Islamic Moroccan government behind the storming of the city by tens of thousands of mostly young males has led to calls from VOX leader Santiago Abascal to “permanently militarise the Ceuta border… as long as it is necessary.”
Speaking from the territory on Sunday, Abascal disputed the notion put forward by the government in Madrid and the EU leadership in Brussels that the vast majority of illegals were removed from Ceuta to Morocco, saying that “thousands and thousands” of migrants remain in the area, while “Spaniards remain terrified and unable to leave their homes.”
“What happened in Ceuta has been an invasion and an act of war promoted by Morocco and allowed by Sánchez, who is incapable of responding because he is subservient to Morocco,” the VOX leader said.
He further demanded that all illegals be returned to Morocco, the closure of the border, the suspension of the EU-Morocco trade agreement until it meaningfully controls its border, and that Prime Minister Sánchez face trial for allowing the “invasion” to occur.
Meanwhile, Abascal also criticised the so-called border protections enacted by the Sánchez government in the wake of the crisis, which consisted of a floating barrier intended to stop migrants from swimming from Morocco to the Spanish territory.
“It’s a bloody disgrace, the latest mockery by Sánchez against Spain and the Spanish people,” the VOX leader said. “He’s put in a float to ‘protect’ the border between Ceuta and Morocco!”
The hardline approach toward Morocco from Abascal could be significant, given that polling currently projects his anti-mass migration party as becoming a minority coalition partner in a future People’s Party government, and would therefore have considerable sway over issues like immigration.
The centre-right People’s Party also appears to be moving on the issue, with the influential President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, adopting Abascal’s language and describing this week’s events as an “invasion”.
“This is going to escalate,” she warned. “I would like to know why the Government thanks Morocco. What is happening is catastrophic. We cannot allow them to invade Ceuta, because it is in those plans. They will try to take it away from us.”
She further lamented that the Sánchez government has “fallen out with all the Western countries that have a pulse” and that its approach is “compromising the security of the entire continent.”
In response to the mass storming of the border at Ceuta this week, the Italian government suspended visa-free travel with Spain. This measure has also been called for by leading figures in France, such as National Rally president Jordan Bardella, who had previously called for Spain to be removed from the open borders Schengen zone over its mass amnesty scheme, which is set to regularise over a million illegals in the coming months.
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