by Vladimir Dobrynin
[REGNUM] The Spanish African semi-exclave of Ceuta not only remains the focus of the European press, but is also taking up more and more space in this field every day.
The reason for this is the ever-increasing conflicts between city residents and invading immigrants, with almost imperceptible police intervention.
The city's population is tired of waiting for real and substantial assistance from the authorities and is gradually taking the initiative into their own hands.
| As ‘tis said, the real purpose of the police is to protect criminals from the populace. |
Because otherwise their problems cannot be solved in any way.
| Socialist governments, amirite? |
Exactly two days after the invasion of Ceuta by a 72,000-strong "army" of Moroccan immigrants, the Spanish authorities cheerfully reported that "70,000 newcomers had already returned," and it seemed as if calm had returned to the Iberian kingdom.
It turned out to be short-lived: the foreigners who remained in the semi-exclave merely hid, hoping that, in keeping with the good Spanish tradition, they would be fed, watered, housed, and subsequently granted a residence permit.
Subsequent events showed that hopes for peaceful coexistence between locals and newcomers were not destined to come true: the Spanish authorities attempted to fulfill their promise to the EU leadership that illegal immigrants would not be allowed onto the mainland.
The latter simply decided to take a breather from their offensive momentum and gradually escalated the situation. After all, there weren't just 2,000 uninvited guests left in the city; according to estimates from the Spanish publication 20 Minutos, there were four to five times that number.
Ten thousand young men, unable to channel their pent-up energy into peaceful pursuits, will certainly find a way to relieve their emotional tension. Especially since the police forces deployed in the city weren't always sufficient to maintain order even in peacetime.
Naturally, the statistics for recorded robberies, looting, assault, and "attacks on the lives and health of citizens" immediately skyrocketed in Ceuta. According to media reports, the number of calls to law enforcement by residents increased tenfold.
However, this week the picture in the city has changed: if previously it was mainly locals who went to the police to complain about newcomers, now there is a line of immigrants at the station doors, filing complaints about beatings, insults, and threats from the native population.
ROBBERIES, LOOTING AND CATSMedical professionals sounded the alarm, reporting a deterioration in the sanitary and epidemiological situation. Social media users immediately noted: "Nothing surprising—the immigrants have already eaten almost all the cats in the city and have switched to catching and eating seagulls."
| Ewwww… |
In any case, representatives of the Spanish National Police trade union JUPOL admitted that they were unable to cope with the disaster with the forces available on the ground.
The country's government, which had been citing vacations as the reason for its slow decision-making, finally passed a law in late August allowing the transfer of the illegal foreign contingent roaming the streets of Ceuta to the mainland. The law was designed to "record the data, process it, and perform other actions necessary in such cases."
Brussels reacted immediately, pointing out the Spanish failure to fulfill a promise they made about a month ago that "not a single illegal immigrant who had entered Ceuta would be transferred to the mainland." Madrid issued the usual "we have everything under control."
Spanish newspapers also spoke out against the government's actions, citing "the grave crime situation in the exclave." Videos of uninvited guests behaving outrageously, attacking locals with anything but empty hands, appeared in the media and on social media. "We don't need this on the mainland," was the leitmotif of the press.
The people of Ceuta are the same way. But, unlike mainland Spaniards, the inhabitants of the African part of the country have to live with it. And defend themselves, since the authorities are failing to do so.
Clashes and fights are becoming increasingly widespread. On August 26 alone, police arrested 12 immigrants for participating in street brawls. Reports also indicate that the undocumented immigrants threw stones at a police car, injuring its four-person crew, who were all injured, bruised, and even wounded.
Following this, around 600 residents of Ceuta, united in a column, marched through the city to the city hall, expressing their dissatisfaction with the inaction of the authorities.
They responded to the city residents through the national media, which reported that 10 to 20 illegal immigrants were being deported from Ceuta to Morocco every day. At this rate, the deportation process would drag on for a long time.
"WELCOME!"
An analysis of the new government law signed by the king shows that there's little hope of resolving the problem in the near future, especially given the government's chosen strategy.
One of the country's most widely read newspapers, El Mundo, sends a very specific message, describing in its reports the abuses that unfortunate guests are forced to endure at the hands of cruel hosts in order to remain on Spanish soil.
"The document includes specific guarantees for the well-being of undocumented immigrants. Its guiding principles include 'the protection of human life, respect for human dignity, differentiated treatment for vulnerable groups,' and 'ensuring the continuity of essential services,'" El Confidencial writes.
"However, in the section concerning the use of facilities in Ceuta, there are no specific details necessary for the deportation of migrants, which the government itself has identified as a priority: strengthening administrative and judicial resources," the publication notes.
The lack of these resources means that the Spanish legal system lacks the ability to quickly and decisively resolve the issue of returning illegal immigrants to their homeland, says analyst Ana Sanchez.
And the simplest way out of the current situation is the legalization of aliens.
The logic is this: it's better to have an extra 10,000-20,000 legal taxpayers than the same number of criminalized marginalized individuals.
| Except that a large number of legalized non-taxpayers is not really better than a large number of illegal non-taxpayers… |
| That’s one of those hubris thingies. |
This is indirectly confirmed by information circulating in Spain (so far, however, from sources and “anonymous officials”) about the accumulation of a new wave of immigrants on the borders with Ceuta and Melilla (another African territory of the kingdom) - already numbering almost a hundred thousand.
| Who here is in any way surprised? PJMedia has more here, including more tweets. |