Hundreds Of Migrants Staged A Protest In Ceuta

• 17.08.2026, 8:59

They are demanding that they be granted asylum.

On Sunday, August 17, hundreds of migrants, who had recently arrived in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, took to the streets in protest, demanding that Spanish authorities grant them asylum instead of deporting them back to Morocco. This was reported by Reuters.

As the publication notes, due to a lack of urban infrastructure, most migrants are forced to live in harsh conditions—on El Trampolín Beach or on the outskirts of the city—while waiting for a chance to reach continental Europe.

“We sleep by the sea; we’re cold and there are unpleasant odors. We’re suffering greatly,” said Ayub Elaroud from Tetouan, Morocco, adding that the police do not allow migrants into the city center.

Protesters held Spanish flags and banners reading “We don’t want to go back to Morocco” and “We are people too,” chanting “We’re tired” and “We need a solution.”

On July 29–30, thousands of migrants from Morocco stormed into the Spanish city of Ceuta—an autonomous city on the northern coast of Africa. The border breach was accompanied by clashes and cars being set on fire, resulting in all of the city’s refugee reception centers becoming overcrowded, and many migrants having to spend the night on the streets.

On August 1, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Álvarez reported that nearly all of the migrants who had illegally entered Ceuta had by that point already returned to Morocco.