Protesters in Ceuta set fire to a migrant camp and clashed with police on Thursday in the latest outbreak of violence in the Spanish enclave. The unrest came one month after a mass influx of migrants from Morocco arrived in the territory.
Spanish television footage showed demonstrators on a beach throwing objects into the fire. Police pushed the protesters back while migrants retreated to a pier. Earlier Thursday, a police spokesman told the AFP news agency that about 70 people attacked a military vehicle with stones and other objects.
Local protesters also attempted to block Red Cross vehicles from reaching the beach to distribute food to migrants. People waving Spanish flags shouted slogans including "They should leave" and "Out with the Red Cross."
More than 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta irregularly in July seeking to reach mainland Europe. The vast majority have since returned to Morocco, but several thousand remain. Spain's government put the number below 7,000 while Ceuta officials said it was at least 10,000. Ceuta's population is about 84,000 people.
Madrid has accelerated efforts to identify migrants and determine who will be returned to Morocco. The government also approved additional funding to support unaccompanied minors entitled to special protection. The crisis, which comes ahead of general elections next year, has drawn criticism from the conservative opposition, which accuses left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of failing to act and abandoning residents.
