Hundreds of migrants demanded asylum in Spanish Ceuta
Participants of the protest came out with Spanish flags and placards "We don't want to return to Morocco" and "We are also people".
Hundreds of migrants who recently entered the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in North Africa staged a protest on the city beach. They demanded asylum and not to be returned to Morocco, Reuters reported.
Participants of the action came out with Spanish flags and placards "We don't want to return to Morocco" and "We are also people". Many of them live on El Trampolín beach or on the outskirts of Ceuta, waiting for the opportunity to enter mainland Europe.
Authorities stated that they would not be able to stay in the enclave.
According to Reuters estimates, between 5,000 and 8,000 migrants remain in Ceuta.
Two weeks earlier, more than 72,000 people crossed the border of the exclave, which is home to about 80,000 people. Most of them subsequently returned to Morocco.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska previously stated that migrants who illegally crossed the border would not be allowed to stay in Ceuta, move to the mainland, or obtain legal status. Exceptions may be made in rare cases where people are in a very vulnerable situation.
Migrants from Morocco interviewed said they left the country due to low wages and poor working conditions. Among those who reached Ceuta were also people from Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Senegal, fleeing armed conflicts and persecution.