Spanish Ceuta Rushed by Hordes of Moroccan Migrants

"This situation is unprecedented. It breaks the trend that we have been recording throughout Spain of a systematic reduction year after year, month by month, in the arrivals of irregular migrants."

"The government of Spain is fully committed to providing an immediate response to the situation in Ceuta."

"This is the moment to build solutions, with responsibility and cooperation."

"[Authorities will place buoys in the breakwaters to act as a] containment barrier. [The arrivals are a] violation [of Spanish territory]." 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez 

 

"The images coming from Ceuta are unacceptable."

"[We must witness the] swift [return of those who arrived in Ceuta]."

"We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules."

Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President 

At least 57 people have died after some 60,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta, a tiny Spanish-held spit jutting into the Mediterranean from Morocco, in the past 24 hours, Ceuta's leader Juan Jesús Vivas said Friday. (Antonio Sempere/The Associated Press)

 

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has distinguished his government as a European leader of the left, sympathetic to illegal migrants and prepared to give citizenship to some hundreds of thousands, who had formerly entered Spain, as a signal of his kind regard for their positive-discriminatory decision to choose Spain as their life-destination over remaining in their countries of origin where clearly opportunities for life-advancement are not as advantageous as they surmise the future would be for them in a European country. 

 

Spain's broad legalization plan with its migrant-conciliatory tone toward migrants arriving from Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America set the tone for the regard Spain has cultivated among future migrant hordes. He has roundly criticized Israel for its invasion of Gaza on a mission to destroy the terrorist group Hamas's capacity to launch another and another and another October 7 mass atrocity on Israeli civilians. He is a critic of the 'war' on Iran, challenging the Trump administration on its focus to free Iranians from the grip of their persecutorial Islamist theocratic regime.

 

Despite this background, the sudden mass arrival of migrants from Morocco and Algeria surprised not only Spain but its neighbours throughout the European Union, shocking governments worldwide at the unexpected boldness of an estimated 60,000 migrant arrivals over a 24-hour period, arriving by sea, swimming or clambering fences into the Spanish territory outpost of Ceuta, with its 83,000 population, located 11 miles from the Spanish mainland.

 

Migrants wait to cross to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, from the Moroccan side of the border in Fnideq. (Reuters)

 

Even as images of the wild crush of people -- mostly young males, bringing nothing with them but their wild aspirations flooded social media Spain ordered a military deployment for order to be restored; a day later reinforcing security and border fences. Morocco, the source of the frantic migrant onrush, deployed water cannons in an effort to push back the migrants. The new migrants were swiftly repatriated a day later, but not before causing havoc in Ceutra, where shops were being looted and private homes entered by the new arrivals.

 

A shudder of apprehension went through Europe with the memory of the 2015 migrant crisis in the region. The finger of reproach and responsibility most favoured by the Sanchez government was human traffickers responding to a recent Supreme Court decision that migrants arriving by sea to Ceuta or Melilla cannot be summarily returned to their source without due process. Spanish media interviewing migrants were given other reasons for the rush; phone or social media network messages that the border was "open" and there would be no hindrance to their passage.

 

The mass migration had unfolded "outside of our will", was the message from Morocco's ambassador to Spain, and that Morocco "wants these citizens to return to our country".  Across Europe outrage ruled, and mainstream political figures responded with stern authority, France declaring their border controls with Spain would be strengthened. Europe had already reached the conclusion that Spain was an irregular migrant liberal outlier.

 

"The images coming from Ceuta are striking and demonstrate, once again, that uncontrolled illegal immigration poses a concrete threat to the security of Europe's borders", wrote Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, calling for the suspension of Spain from the Schengen agreement allowing free movement between 29 European countries. Italy had the support of Finland in calling for Spain's exclusion from the agreement.

 

Spain deployed troops to reinforce police after thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa. The scene was reminiscent of 2021, when about 10,000 migrants entered the territory.  CBC News (still from video)

 

Trudeau: "We strongly condemn this hate and its manifestations"

"Trans people -- they exist in society, and they deserve inclusion, just like everyone else."

"We need to talk to people, teach them the right vocabulary, the proper words, at an age-appropriate time, in order to explain that inclusion is a good thing."

"We need to make sure that their trans and queer peers at school feel welcome."

Trans activist Celeste Trianon 

"Transphobia, homophobia, and biphobia have no place in this country."

"We strongly condemn this hate and its manifestations, and we stand united in support of 2SLGBTQI+ Canadians across the country -- you are valid and you are valued."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

 

"We know that there are a lot of folks that don't feel safe because of the rise in hate and division that's targeting vulnerable people."

"But then you see a lot of people coming together, and it shows the strength of solidarity, of us supporting each other, of having each other's back."

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh

 

"I think our parents should become knowledgeable about what their kids are being taught and what is important for them to learn in schools and what's important for parents to make decisions on with kids that are under 16 years old."

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs

 

"I don't want them to be educated on whether they are a girl or a boy."

"Let them be what they want to be."

"If he [her son] decides in his life, when he's an adult, if he wants to change, I'm OK with that."

Jashandeep Dhillon, mother in Regina

 

"[Children were being] bullied by teachers into changing their pronouns]."

"It's one thing to say, well, we have various people who have different feelings about sexuality." 

"It's a different thing to teach everybody that it is perfectly normal, and that you [the student] should look into that, if it's applicable to you."

David Low, rally organizer, Prince George

Protests and counter-protests over LGBTQ school policies took place in Toronto on Wednesday, with many more happening across the country. The initial protests were organized under the banner of '1 Million March 4 Children' to 'protect our children from indoctrination and sexualization,' according to the group’s website. Counter-protests took place in response, with thousands gathering at places like Queen’s Park. CBC

 

Everyone is invested in the education of society's children, starting with their parents, and ending with the schools they attend where children in public schools are trusted to be introduced to and instructed in the most basic requirements of literacy and numeracy, geography, practical economics, history and enrichment programs associated with sports, nature, and social culture. This is all preparation for adulthood, for children maturing and accepted within their greater society. The stern educator of long ago demanding instant obedience from his classroom has long since been replaced by an easy-going instructor encouraging students to familiarize themselves with themselves. 

Where once unruly children were sent to the principal's office for the vice-principal to mete out appropriate punishment for anti-social and/or destructive or disruptive behaviour, it is now verboten. Students whose classroom performance is mediocre are now encouraged not necessarily to study more diligently and take part in classroom discussions, but to consider themselves special and extraordinary. In today's classrooms students can be disruptive and even physically abusive and face no penalties. Stories of teachers being assaulted physically and a general aura of violence have become common. There seem to be no penalties, children will be children.

 

Protesters march down Elgin Street in Ottawa as they demonstrate against sexual orientation and gender identity programs in schools on Wednesday. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

"Safety can't be guaranteed in class; the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario says three-quarters of its members report having experienced or witnessed violence committed against colleagues."

"On Monday, a 14-year-old girl in Whitby, Ontario stabbed another girl in school, seriously injuring her; meanwhile, in Oshawa, a 12-year-old girl had to be subdued with a taser after she attacked fellow students and a teacher with scissors, sending one child to hospital." 

Tasha Kheiriddin, journalist, National Post

Parents over the past several years have become increasingly perturbed over the agendas in schools their children attend. Where once parents scrutinized report cards for results, they now wonder what has been happening with their children as students in public schools when they read reports of school boards mandating that teachers not reach out to parents to discuss their child's newly-emerged preference to change their birth biology by assuming the persona of a gender other than that they were born with. The child requesting to be addressed with specific pronouns rejecting their birth gender has the final word.

 

Protesters and counter-protesters are shown in Charlottetown. (Alex McIsaac/CBC)

 

 At one time students in Canada's public schools were in the high percentiles of successful learning, passing their grades in above-average numbers, indicating that the Canadian education system was in fine form and doing justice to the needs of the active minds of their students engaged in learning basic academic subjects. That is no longer true. Canada has distinguished itself of late by being identified as the sole G7 country whose scores in math and science are "steadily declining", according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, a concerning reality for parents expecting their children to be properly educated.

What does now also hugely concern parents of school-age children is the new acculteration dominating the news of children being encouraged through the school system to think deeply about their sexual identity; whether it coincides with their ideas, thoughts, proclivities and orientations. Boys with girlish tendencies, and girls who emulate boyish behaviour are now engaged in the kind of introspection that leads them to question their gender realities, boosted by the literature they are now exposed to in their school libraries.

Young children are now introduced to aromantic (absence of romantic attraction), asexual (absence of sexual attraction), pansexual (attraction to any gender) or demisexual (attraction requiring an emotional bond) 'normalcies'. The atmosphere in the classroom is one of complete abandonment of biological determination based in science and nature, in favour of gender fluidity and the ease with which children can decide they prefer to alter their gender identification because it's alluring to them, and fits more neatly into how they perceive themselves after exposure to the alternatives available to them.

Transitions in fundamental biology that puzzle their parents and who have finally come to the conclusion that their role as guardians of their children's well-being, as nurturers and parents guiding their children into the future has been taken from them by a school system that cautions teachers and students not to inform parents of their children's preferences and decision-making. And so parents, some teachers who disagree with the system, and other concerned individuals mounted country-wide protests, called 1 Million March 4 Children.

True to his infamous virtue-signalling and condemnation of any who disagree with his social and cultural proclivities, the prime minister of Canada has denounced these hundreds of thousands of protesting parents as hateful and racist. Those who protest at school classrooms and libraries presenting drag queens acting out the theatrics of sexual exhibitionism and sex change, concerned for the welfare of their children being exposed to orientations of poor taste and no value, find themselves being told that there is no place for them in Canada, by their prime minister.

 

Hundreds demonstrated in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa Wednesday morning, one of several similar events across the country  CBC