MADRID, May 25, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Angry clashes broke out in Spain’s north African enclave of Ceuta late Monday where at least 300 people protested outside a hotel where Spain’s far-right Vox leader was holding a meeting.
The clashes erupted after an extremely tense week in Ceuta when an unprecedented 8,000 to 10,000 migrants crossed over the border from Morocco, overwhelming this tiny Spanish enclave.
Santiago Abascal, who is known for his aggressive anti-migrant stance, had planned a rally in the city but it was cancelled by the central government delegation which said it “wasn’t the time to further inflame the situation” in Ceuta.
Instead, he held a meeting inside the hotel, drawing hundreds of angry protesters who rallied outside in the Plaza de Africa.
“Between 300 and 350 people gathered outside the hotel where the Vox leader was,” a spokesman for the Spanish government’s delegation in Ceuta told AFP.
Footage on social media showed the crowds shouting “Provocateur, provocateur!” as police blocked them from entering.
When Abascal tried to leave by the back door, the protesters caught wind of his intention and started throwing stones, prompting clashes with police, the radio said.
Footage on social media showed protesters hurling stones into the square to the sound of breaking glass and shots being fired into the air by police.
“Several police officers were injured, two people were arrested, there was damage caused to police vehicles and to street furniture,” the delegation spokesman said.
Spain has so far sent some 7,500 people back across the border but says there are still some 1,000 unaccompanied minors left in Ceuta who are being fed and housed by the authorities who are trying to contact their parents.