The leader of Se Acabó La Fiesta (SALF), Alvise Pérez, had to be evacuated this Saturday by the National Police from the rally called by his party in the Plaza de los Reyes in Ceuta, due to counter-demonstrations led by Ceutan citizens of Moroccan origin.
Ramon Espadaler faces one of the decisive moments of his term, in the midst of the implementation of the Efficiency law. Major changes in justice, he says, require time, resources, dialogue, and full institutional respect.
The proposal repeatedly put forward by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, to reach a State pact for the climate emergency has been met with outright rejection from the Popular Party. Despite the outcry from experts and the unanimous demand of social organizations, the chances of an agreement are fading, largely because the end of the parliamentary term is approaching.
As the backdrop to the current migration crisis is the 2030 FIFA World Cup, a competition that will be jointly organized by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. More specifically, the final of that World Cup, the main point of contention to be decided. Because that tournament, which could bring together up to 64 teams if FIFA’s plans proceed, will start in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay with the first three matches, in commemoration of the centenary of the competition. That is, the opening matches will no longer be held in the host countries. This fact gives even more importance to who will get the final match. The rules of FIFA’s preliminary report are clear: the stadium hosting the title match must have a minimum capacity close to 80,000 spectators.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, sent a letter yesterday to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, urging the Irish presidency, which holds the rotating presidency this semester, to convene an emergency meeting due to the reaction he described as “selfish, polarizing, and illegal” of countries like Italy in response to the crisis triggered this week in Ceuta by the irregular crossing of the border.
The first curve of Martínez Catena Avenue, the road that runs along the southern coastal area of Ceuta, serves to quite accurately predict whether it will be a day of migratory pressure in the autonomous city. From there, in the background, you can glimpse Tarajal beach. Unless the dense fog that often appears during many summer days prevents seeing the border with Morocco. That white curtain, besides announcing stifling heat, helps immigrants who try to swim to the Spanish coast avoid being detected. Foggy night, early morning of irregular arrivals.
The King, who is at Marivent, the official summer residence of the royal family, has conveyed a message in which he expresses his “great concern and indignation over the serious events in Ceuta and, to a lesser extent, also in Melilla.” According to a statement made public this Saturday by the Royal Household, over the past few days Felipe VI has remained in contact with both the presidents of the two Autonomous Cities, Juan Jesús Vivas and Juan José Imbroda, as well as with the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, and the leader of the opposition, Alberto Núñez Feijóo. “To all of them,” the note states, “he has conveyed words of encouragement and firmness.”
The data provided by the Ministry of the Interior regarding the departure of migrants who have entered in recent days both by swimming and over the fence from Ceuta have raised the question of whether, with the latest Supreme Court ruling on the matter, these returns are allowed.
Government sources have defended this Saturday that Ceuta and Melilla, although part of the Schengen area, maintain a specific and unique border regime in Europe that reinforces the integrity of that area through a double control: one at the border with Morocco and another at the exit towards the Peninsula, by sea or air.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo has limited himself in recent hours to making demands to the Government to respond to the arrival of 50,000 immigrants from Morocco. However, once most of those people have been returned and the situation seems more or less under control, the leader of the PP has already moved on to demanding accountability from the Government, whom he has blamed for what happened. “What has happened here is not just another incident, it is a premeditated and unprecedented occupation of Spanish territory. It is not something unforeseeable either,” he stated.
