LAGOS AUGUST 28TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Moroccan migrants in Ceuta ambushed a Spanish military vehicle and pelted soldiers with stones.
Twelve Moroccans, all of whom had entered the Spanish enclave during the migrant surge last month, were arrested after the attack during an early-hours patrol on Thursday.
One soldier had been injured after being struck in the back after around 70 migrants on both sides of the road had hurled stones and other objects, a police spokesman said.
The soldiers were forced to flee on foot and had to call for police backup as the crowd chased them.
The migrants had dispersed after police officers had arrived in several more vehicles, the spokesman said, adding that four migrants had also suffered minor injuries in the clashes.
The violence between migrants and the authorities ensued after residents in Ceuta tore down migrants’ tents on Trampolin beach, where thousands have camped out since the crisis erupted last month.
On Wednesday night, thousands of residents took to the streets of the tiny Spanish territory, which is home to 80,000 people, shouting: “Invaders out! Invaders out!”
Police fired tear gas to disperse the protests and prevent confrontation with the migrants camped out on the beach.
It is the latest in a series of protests by residents in Ceuta who have demanded the migrants be sent back as soon as possible.
On July 30, more than 70,000 Moroccans entered Ceuta by swimming or walking, causing a diplomatic crisis as 22 EU countries blamed Spain for its lax immigration policy.
Although the vast majority of migrants returned to Morocco immediately after the influx, thousands remain in the enclave, many living rough on the streets.
On Thursday, Kissy Chandiramani, Ceuta’s finance minister, told Cadena Ser radio station that “tension in the city of Ceuta is very high” because there was “no response” from the government and “we feel abandoned”.
But she also appealed for calm, saying people had the right to protest but warned that growing hostility would not resolve the crisis.
José María Aznar, a former conservative Spanish prime minister who visited Ceuta on Thursday, said: “Spain’s territorial integrity has been violated.”
Spain’s socialist government estimates between 3,500 and 7,000 migrants remain in the enclave, while Ceuta’s Right-wing leaders say there are at least 10,000.
While most of the migrants who arrived to Ceuta immediately returned home, many have continued living rough in Ceuta – Antonio Sempere/AFP
The Spanish government is seeking to speed up the return of migrants remaining in Ceuta by expanding shelters and accelerating deportation processes.
But it has warned that each individual must be identified to determine whether they are entitled to asylum or subject to deportation, while thousands of minors require special protection.
The interior ministry said on Thursday that it would send additional staff to help identify migrants, while the government approved €25m (£21.6m) in additional funding to help care for unaccompanied minors.
The Telegraph
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