Pedro Sánchez has chosen the path of empathy to face Ceuta Day, a date that this year is far from festive for its population. With the city still absorbing the impact of the migratory avalanche at the end of July and tensions running high in its streets, the Prime Minister has opted for a message of support and self-criticism. He has acknowledged that, while normality is not restored, for some Ceutans the State’s response remains insufficient. And he did so barely 24 hours after the Council of Ministers gave the green light to a financial lifeline of 309 million euros.
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But the economic firewall with which Moncloa has tried to channel the crisis has encountered a new obstacle on the political front after the shock to the foundations of the Ministry of the Interior following the revelation that the National Police handled a report placing Morocco behind the massive assault on July 30 and 31.
In his address to the Ceutans, Sánchez did not ignore the discomfort caused by the crisis. The Prime Minister began by admitting the gap between the State’s response and the needs of a population that has not yet regained normality.
“I know you face this day under especially difficult circumstances, because what happened on July 30 substantially changes your ability to face such a complex crisis,” he said. And he added: “I understand that for many of you, until normality is restored, the State’s response is insufficient.”
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The Prime Minister then focused on the most immediate consequences of the crisis. “Our priority is to get people off the streets as soon as possible, ensure dignified care for all the patients who have come to us, and restore peace to civilians,” he stated. But the message also sought to acknowledge the response of the citizens themselves. Sánchez thanked the Ceutans for “the solidarity, coexistence, and responsibility” shown during these weeks, in a call to preserve precisely the elements that have helped contain social tension.
Behind Sánchez’s words is the largest economic deployment approved by the Government to face the consequences of the crisis. The 309 million mobilized on Tuesday — to which another 50 million in guarantees are added — amount to 16% of Ceuta’s GDP and aim to support an economy especially exposed to the consequences of the closure and pressure on the border.
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