Ceuta residents force far-right leaders out amid migration crisis

A surge of mass migration into the tiny Spanish territory of Ceuta last week handed Europe's far-right parties a fresh rallying cry — but their attempts to capitalize on the crisis met fierce resistance from the city's own residents, who organized counterprotests that forced political agitators to leave under police escort.

Backlash in Ceuta

On Saturday evening, MEP Luis "Alvise" Pérez, leader of the party Se Acabó La Fiesta (The Party's Over), was escorted by police to Ceuta's port after protests erupted against a rally his group had organized in Plaza de los Reyes. Local residents, including many of Moroccan descent, surrounded the gathering chanting "Get out," "Ceuta united, not divided," and "This is our city".yabiladi

Before the rally began, residents confronted Pérez at a café, telling him: "You target the vulnerable" and "You exploit the situation to spread hatred". The far-right Núcleo Nacional (National Core) group faced similar opposition, with National Police escorting roughly 20 of its members to the port as protesters surrounded them. Residents followed the convoy on motorcycles, honking in support as the groups departed.yabiladi

A Continent-Wide Amplification

The confrontations in Ceuta unfolded against a backdrop of continent-wide political opportunism. Far-right leaders across Europe seized on images of the chaotic border crossings — in which tens of thousands of migrants entered the Spanish enclave on Thursday — to argue that Europe's borders are failing.nbcnews+1

In France, Marine Le Pen demanded immediate reinforcement of border controls, while her deputy Jordan Bardella blamed Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's regularization of undocumented immigrants for "opening the doors of Europe to all dangers". In Britain, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage warned that migrants entering Ceuta would eventually reach the English Channel. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the scenes "shocking" and said Italy "will not stand by and watch".nytimes

Centrists Tighten the Tone

What distinguishes 2026 from the 2015 migration crisis is the degree to which centrist leaders have adopted hardline rhetoric. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen urged counterparts to consider suspending Spain from the Schengen Area, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz demanded Morocco "take back illegal migrants immediately".nytimes

Spain's Sánchez, one of the few leaders maintaining a welcoming stance on immigration, pushed back, noting that most of those who crossed into Ceuta on Thursday had departed by Saturday and that more migrants enter the EU unlawfully through Italy, the Western Balkans, and Greece than through Spain. François Gemenne, a migration expert at HEC Paris, observed that centrist leaders feel compelled to appear tough on borders: "If centrists give the impression that they are outflanked on these issues, they lose the narrative completely".nytimes

In Ceuta itself, the message from residents was blunter — directed not at migrants, but at the politicians who came to exploit them.