Most migrants left, far-right arrived: Ceuta shakes Spain and Europe

Most of the migrants who broke into Ceuta have returned to Morocco, but the political crisis is just beginning: far-right leader Abascal called the entry a 'invasion', the opposition spoke of 'occupation', and Sánchez attacked Europe. At least 72 were killed trying to enter.

The city of Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in North Africa, has begun to return to normal after between 50,000 and 60,000 migrants from Morocco entered it over the weekend. Most have already returned, but at least 72 people were killed trying to enter, some drowned and others were crushed. In place of the migrants, politicians and far-right figures arrived in the city, including Vox party leader Santiago Abascal, who called the entry an 'invasion' and an 'act of war' and blamed Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Also, conservative People's Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo arrived and defined the events as a 'planned and unprecedented occupation'. European Parliament member Alvise Pérez was forced to take shelter in a bar after angry residents, many of Moroccan origin, protested against him. Sánchez, who remains isolated in Europe with a liberal immigration policy, demands an emergency meeting of EU interior ministers. The crisis exposed tensions in a city that once lived in coexistence between Christians, Muslims, Jews, and Hindus, and made immigration a central issue in the upcoming elections in Spain.