Around 200 people marched through the centre of the capital called by the Platform for Solidarity with Migrants to demand a humanitarian response in Ceuta and reject racist rhetoric.
Approximately 200 people demonstrated this Saturday in the centre of Málaga to call for a humanitarian response to the migration crisis in Ceuta and to reject the racist discourse that, according to the organisers, has surfaced in recent weeks. The march, as reported by Diario Sur, was organised by the Platform for Solidarity with Migrants in Málaga, which brings together around twenty organisations, associations, and trade unions.
The mobilization began at 12:20 PM on Alcazabilla Street and progressed through Cortina del Muelle and plaza de la Marina before heading up calle Larios to plaza de la Constitución, arriving around 1:00 PM. The route went smoothly among tourists who were strolling or sitting at outdoor cafes.
Under the slogan “No human being is illegal,” participants chanted slogans such as “One person, one dignified life,” “racists out of our neighbourhoods,” “here are the anti-fascists,” “the working class is one and without borders,” and “military spending for schools and hospitals.” Messages were also directed at specific individuals: “Netanyahu and Trump leave Ceuta in peace” and “Progressive government, complicit and racist.”
“We stand in solidarity with those who live there and legitimately feel fear”
This was expressed by Rubén Darío Correa, vice president of the Platform for Solidarity with Migrants in Málaga, who denounced the exploitation of migrants for various interests and defended that the mobilization advocates for “dignity, solidarity, and human rights.” “Human beings are important, everyone is important, all people matter,” he summarised.
The situation of the people of Ceuta was also present in the speeches. Anabel Torres, a member of the Zambra association, admitted that an influx of this magnitude “creates a crisis at all levels” and believes that Ceuta has been “overwhelmed.” In her view, the response requires greater involvement from the State and autonomous communities so that the burden does not fall solely on the autonomous city.
“We do not believe that adequate action has been taken either by the State, the Government, or through the autonomous communities”
Torres advocated for an organized response that addresses vulnerable individuals and alleviates pressure on Ceuta, highlighting the reaction of much of its population: “They have provided help, they have welcomed. We are fully with the people of Ceuta.”
From Podemos, the councillor in the Málaga City Council Nicolás Eduardo Sguiglia called on the central Government to provide a solution to what is happening in Ceuta “as quickly as possible” and rejected the “racist and hate speech” that, in his view, certain political forces are using. “The problem is not the migrants who are currently in Ceuta,” he stated, but “the enormous inequality that exists at the borders and the lack of effective policies to address this humanitarian crisis.”
Toni Morillas, deputy spokesperson for Con Málaga in the Málaga City Council, directed her criticisms towards Morocco, accusing it of using the migrant population as a “tool of political and geopolitical pressure to destabilize the Government of Spain.” Morillas called on the central Government and autonomous communities to take measures to “welcome and protect migrant children” who remain in Ceuta, and condemned PP and Vox for exploiting the situation “to sow hatred, to sow racist discourse.”
Among the participants, banners from Ustea Málaga, Yayoflautas, Amnesty International, IU, Podemos, PCE, CGT, Socialist Youth Coordinator, Sustainable and Habitable Málaga, the Provincial Coordinator for the Defence of the Public Pension System, and Revolutionary Left, among other groups, were seen.
The march concluded in plaza de la Constitución with a minute of silence “for the victims of Ceuta, Zionism, and imperialism” and the reading of a manifesto that calls for protection for migrant minors, respect for the right to asylum, opening legal and safe pathways, resources for Ceuta and other host territories, and a distribution of responsibilities among administrations. The gathering dispersed shortly before 1:30 PM without incidents.
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