PROTESTERS clashed with police in the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta as tensions erupted one month after a massive influx of migrants from Morocco.
Police charged at demonstrators on a beach on Thursday, Spanish media reported, moments after a group stormed the camp where migrants had been sleeping.
Footage shows protesters hoisting a large Spanish flag during the attack, while others linger in the background brandishing poles and sticks.
Some of the migrants’ belongings were set on fire amid the chaos, video shows, though no injuries have been reported.
Earlier the same day, demonstrators staged a sit-in to stop Red Cross staff from distributing food to the migrants.
Many waved Spanish flags as they chanted ‘migrants leave’ before being chased back by police.
On Wednesday, officers in anti-riot gear fired tear gas to prevent clashes between protesters and migrants on the beach.
Security concerns have been growing among Ceuta residents since around 80,000 migrants illegally entered the enclave from Morocco on July 30 and 31.
More than 90% of those migrants have since been repatriated, according to Spanish government figures, but thousands still remain in Ceuta.
Locals have been protesting consistently since the border breach, arguing that the influx could create security and hygiene problems.
Early on Thursday, around 70 migrants pelted a military van with stones and other objects, AFP reported.
One of the four soldiers inside the vehicle was injured by a stone, while 12 Moroccan migrants were arrested after the attack, according to a police spokesperson cited by AFP.
The growing tensions have stirred controversy within the Spanish government, with the opposition lambasting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez over what it says was a slow reaction to the crisis.
READ MORE: Spain to transfer 500 migrant girls from Ceuta to mainland amid welfare concerns
Alberto Nuñez Feijoo, the leader of right-wing Partido Popular (PP), wrote on X on Thursday: “People in Ceuta have been putting up with this alone for a month.”
“Nothing was done to prevent the invasion… and nothing is being done to stop the public-order crisis that is worsening every day,” he added.
Spain’s left-wing government says between 3,500 and 7,000 migrants still remain in Ceuta, though the opposition puts the figure at 10,000.
Officials say the remaining migrants need to be identified to determine who is entitled to asylum and who can be returned to their country of origin.
The Interior Ministry said on Thursday it would bring in additional staff to help identify migrants.
Meanwhile, the government unlocked €25 million in funds to help care for unaccompanied minors, who are entitled to special legal protections under Spanish law.
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