Madrid rally challenges Spain’s migration policy as turnout remains disputed
Protesters called for an early election over the government’s handling of the Ceuta arrivals. Attendance estimates ranged from 20,000 to 180,000.
A rally in Madrid on Saturday challenged Spain’s migration policy and the government’s response to the late-July influx into Ceuta. Demonstrators accused Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government of negligence and called for an early election by mid-November, though the next general election is scheduled for August 2027.
Sociedad Civil Española organised the protest with backing from the conservative People’s Party and Vox. Turnout estimates differed sharply: the government put attendance at 20,000, while organisers said 180,000.
More than 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco at the end of July. Most were returned, but Spain estimates between 6,000 and 10,000 remain. Dozens of migrants died during the surge on 30 and 31 July.
Vox leader Santiago Abascal called for everyone who arrived in late July to be deported to their country of origin and said Sánchez should be tried for treason. Those demands were part of the rally’s political response to the crisis.
Sánchez said Moroccan border control had failed to manage the incident and that an investigation was under way. El País reported the government was planning a decree for Tuesday to accelerate returns from Ceuta to Morocco; the report did not confirm the decree had been approved.
