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)

 

Marine Traffic Introduction to Gladis

"That traumatized orca is the one that started this behaviour of physical contact with the boat."

"[Her] critical moment of agony [made Gladis aggressive toward boats, that aggressive behaviour copied by other orcas]."

Alfredo Lopez Fernandez, biologist, University of Aveiro, Portugal

 

"At that point, we were like 'there's definitely something down there'."

"After that was when we got the first sighting of them."

"Once the main pod turned up it looked like there was a matriarch with a calf. I thought 'oh dear' when I saw them. There's not a lot you can do at that point."

"After reading reports and knowing what has been going on, I just thought we were in for a ride now."

Skipper Greg Blackburn, from Leeds

 

"The little ones shook the rudder at the back while the big one repeatedly backed up and rammed the ship with full force from the side."

"The two little orcas observed the bigger one's technique and, with a slight run-up, they too slammed into the boat."

Captain Werner Schaufelberger, Strait of Gibraltar 

Killer whales attack a sailing boat off the coast of Morocco Credit: Stephen Bidwell / SWNS

 

Ship captains have been placed on alert. There's a female orca, leader of her pack, who has a grudge. The theory is that Gladis the killer whale, has taken to leading orca gangs into conflict with yachts around Gibraltar. She now has three boats sunk in European waters to her credit. White Gladis, believes researchers, has taken a course of vengeance following a traumatic experience when she was in collision with a boat, or possibly found herself trapped in illegal fishing nets.

It has become obvious that other orcas, known to be sensitive, socially cohesive animals, are emulating Gladis's behaviour. The balance of the killer whale population has taken to copying Gladis's attack mode; they have learned how to ram vessels from their ringleader. Six of the predators slammed into the hull of the Bavaria 46 on May 2, sailing in the Strait of Gibraltar, near Tangier in Morocco.

"Heavy weather" of 25-30 knot winds and a rolling swell of two to three metres were already distracting Skipper Greg Blackburn before he realized that he had other adversaries to maritime safety to be concerned about. There were two thunderingly-loud knocks when the whales impacted his rudder. The first ram raids had been carried out by two large orcas, when another four turned up, and that's when Captain Blackburn knew of a certainty he was in trouble.

He dropped the main sail attempting to present his ship to the whales "as boring as possible", presumably to divert them and confound their attention. Eventually the whales seemed to lose interest, but before that happened they managed to cause extensive damage of thousands of dollars' worth, leaving the boat to limp back to port, another injury statistic.

 

A couple was enjoying a sailing course off the coast of Morocco when they spotted a pod approaching Credit: Greg Blackburn / SWNS

 

A pod of three orcas two days later attacked and sank a third sailboat after piercing its rudder on May 4 in the Strait of Gibraltar off the Spanish coast. A similar attack took place off the coast of Portugal last November. Spanish coast guards rescued the crew of Captain Werner Schaufelberger's vessel, but as it was being towed to shore, it sank at the port entrance of Barbate.

May 2020 marked the first reports of aggressive orcas' action off the Iberian coast. Spanish authorities banned sailing boats of over 50 feet in September of 2020 from setting sail from the country's northwestern tip aiming to protect shipping following the registration of 29 orca ram raids. Since then the assaults became increasingly frequent, according to a study published in the journal Marine Mammal Science in June of 2022.

Mostly, these attacks aim for sailing boats and follow a similar pattern where the orcas approach from the stern then hit the rudder before losing interest once the boat has been engaged and placed out of commission.

Researchers believe White Gladis, pictured, is now teaching other whales to attack yachts Credit: Grupo de trabajo Orca Atlántica

Girls' and Women's Sporting Life in the Arab Middle East

"Sometimes we face some difficulties, of course. Like, 'This is a game only for boys or males, why do you wear shorts?' --and so on. This is a huge problem we face."

"But I think with time, it's getting better and better."

Masar Athamnehy, 20, Orthodox Club women's soccer team, Amman, Jordan

 

"Life has become hell for us, as a woman we can't do anything by our choice."

"Unfortunately,l my dream  to make it to Afghanistan's national team] remained just a dream."

Sabera Akberzada, 17, Afghanistan

 

"You're a girl, it's not right [they tell me]."

"I fell in love with the game because it's got action. I love it a lot, more than any other sport."

Sarah Asimrin 13, Amman, Jordan

 

"There is no support for women's sports in the Gaza Strip -- no support to be like girls in other parts of the world."

Maha Shabat, team manager Beit Hanoun Al-Ahli Youth Club, Gaza

"On the internet, I see many girls [elsewhere] playing normally."

"[The biggest obstacle in Gaza is society and tradition but I just] think positively about the criticism. I will take it as a motive to proceed and challenge everyone."

Rama Ashour, 14, Gaza

Joud Shunti, 23-year-old goalkeeper, trains with the Orthodox Club's women's team in Amman, Jordan. (Raad AL-Adayleh/The Associated Press)

 

The Middle East is a geographic region where the game of soccer has enthusiastic fans everywhere. Even among girls and women for whom participation in any kind of sport, much less soccer, is untraditional and goes against the cultural/religious strain of what is viewed as fitting for women in society. In Amman, Jordan, 13-year-old Sarah Asimrin and her younger sister might be viewed as coming by their fascination with soccer as an inherited trait, since their father is himself a soccer coach at a private academy in Amman.

Mad for the men's game of soccer as the region may be, the women's game has no real status and there is little interest in financing it as long as conservative interests continue to insist that girls and sports just do not fly, along with the issue of uniforms being entirely unsuited since they typically reveal bare skin on legs and arms. Jordan stands out as one of the leaders in the region, with a network of girls' youth and school leagues.

In Saudi Arabia where only in the last few years were women given permission to even attend soccer games as spectators, the first matches of a new women's Premier League were held. For the first time the Saudi national women's team played against international teams. Tournaments newly launched allow women's teams opportunities in international competitions.

The smaller West Asian and Asian football associations held their own first women's club championships several years back. A women's club championship was inaugurated in Cairo by the African Federation last year. This year's games began in Morocco with a sizeable financial incentive for the winners even though the win was considerably less than the $2.5 million that goes to the winning men's club.

Football Player for the Egyptian National Team. Sarah Essam

 

Financial incentives are provided by Jordan's Football Association in support of forming women's teams, so that even some conservative clubs have joined. A holdup in promoting women's teams is the fact that they fail to generate income. Since Qatar was named host of the World Cup this year, it has departed from its traditional lag in promoting women's soccer, to develop women's teams at universities, holding soccer academies for girls, as a new initiative.

The region's most prominent contrast is Egypt with its men's teams -- wealthy powerhouses -- winning regional tournaments on a regular basis even while women's soccer languishes in neglect. Egypt's Wadi Degla wins most women's competitions. The price has been public backlashes where a victory by the under-20 national women's team over Lebanon led to a barrage of sexual harassment on social media of obscene comments and sneers at girls playing soccer.

The African Champions League is to require clubs in its men's tournament to include and promote women's teams, a move that should have the effect of moving the Egyptian clubs to alter their resistance to aiding the formation of women's soccer clubs. In the Palestinian West Bank, women's soccer is somewhat active, while it has a non-existent presence in the Gaza Strip where its 2.3 million residents are conservative and its Islamist government in Hamas has little patience for women's freedoms.

The Beit Hanoun Al Ahli Youth Club with 20 girls playing basketball and soccer wear pants rather than shorts, and long-sleeve shirts. Their soccer-playing days are over once they reach age 17, when they no longer play, looking toward marriage instead. And in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of the country, the nascent women's sport scene collapsed under order of the authorities, leaving hundreds of female athletes without recourse to the sports they love.

"I feel so worried and so sorry for women, young women who wanted to be independent. I don't think women will play sports again in Afghanistan", sighed Khalid Popal, a former captain of the women's national team now living in exile in Denmark, and desperately trying to get members of the under-15 team still in Afghanistan to safety outside her benighted country.

Soccer player Insherah Heyasat, left, gives instructions during a training of the Orthodox Club's women's team in Amman, Jordan, on Oct. 22. Women's soccer has been long been neglected in the Middle East, a region that is mad for the men's game and hosts the World Cup for the first time this month in Qatar. (Raad AL-Adayleh/The Associated Press)