How the Migrant Crisis in Ceuta Ignited a Backlash Against the Far Right

This was the moment residents in Ceuta shouted down a far-right Spanish politician. Alvise Pérez came here after tens of thousands of migrants crossed into this Spanish territory, nearly doubling its population overnight. Dozens died in the chaos, most by drowning. The majority have since returned to Morocco, but anti-immigration activists from around the world have been capitalizing on the crisis. “How the hell could this happen?” Many locals say they’re not welcome here — and that the far right, which claims Spain is too lax on migration, is using the crisis for their own political gain. Just minutes after Pérez and the other far-right activists arrived, they were escorted away by police. Ceuta is a multicultural peninsula with a large Muslim population. Many of them are of Moroccan descent. Even residents who are concerned about the sudden influx of migrants still shouted away the far-right activists. Can you tell me a little bit about how you feel about people from political parties outside of Ceuta coming to Ceuta to talk about this event? Do you disagree that Ceuta has a migration problem? Scenes of mass migration events like this one have struck a nerve across Europe, where many politicians are hardening their immigration policies to appease the far right. Despite some normalcy returning to Ceuta, residents are still feeling caught in the crossfire.