The Lega member Alessandro Morelli, Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council, has been in Ceuta for two days, where he went to see firsthand the situation of the Spanish autonomous city on the border with Morocco. And he witnessed the clashes that yesterday inflamed the refugee camp of the enclave.
Honorable Morelli, why did you decide to go to Ceuta?
“To understand what happened. You see, we in Italy are a bit desensitized, after the left dismantled the security decrees, we have witnessed the resumption of landings and now, we almost no longer pay attention. I came here to understand the damage that such an invasion can do to a European territory.”
What feelings did you experience during this visit?
“It is an almost dystopian situation. There are people sitting at the bar drinking and eating and ten meters away there are illegal immigrants loitering in the street.”
But aren’t the citizens of Ceuta afraid for their safety?
“No, because Ceuta is now a militarized city. Police and army are everywhere with helmets on their heads and submachine guns in their hands. But I dare not imagine what the city was like in the first hours of the invasion with over 70,000 illegal immigrants invading it and without the army to defend it…”
Yet even yesterday there were fights and clashes among illegal immigrants…
“Try to imagine five/ten thousand men (there are no official numbers here) almost all young and many even minors, who wander around all day doing nothing. It is logical that tension rises and there are clashes. Yesterday I was near the reception center when the police closed the road and made us move away shortly before the disorder broke out.”
The Italian government has extended the Schengen treaty block for another 15 days. Do you agree?
“I find the extension absolutely necessary. The situation related to the Ceuta migration crisis is not resolved. I arrived here by ferry and even though there are controls, there is so much confusion that evading them does not seem impossible to me.”
Is this the reason why these 5/10 thousand illegal immigrants are still in Ceuta and do not want to leave?
“Talking with the citizens of Ceuta, they explained to me that these people stay here, even in desperate conditions, because they expect that at any moment the socialist Sanchez will make another amnesty like the one for half a million migrants he made a few months ago. Here they are convinced that last month’s invasion is the result of that measure.”
How is the regular population experiencing this crisis?
“Badly, because besides public order problems, we are talking about a predominantly tourist city. And having beaches full of illegal immigrants and businesses closed has been a significant economic damage. Not to mention that hotels and accommodation facilities are completely full of soldiers and police officers.”
Is the people angry with the government?
“Here every day there is a demonstration against Sanchez. Yesterday there were firefighters who arrived in the square with a fire truck, raised a huge Spanish flag and within minutes citizens rushed to join the protest, shouting ‘Ceuta is not for sale, Ceuta is defended.’ People are exasperated, yet the demonstrations are all peaceful. I have only seen such a situation in Beirut, Lebanon. Only here we are in Europe…”
Speaking of this, the EU is also largely absent here…
“The role of the European Union is the real issue. In Brussels they must understand that the solution cannot be the redistribution of migrants. On the contrary, the key is that every national border is a European border – and this applies as much to Ceuta as to Lampedusa or Greece – and as such must be defended. Secondly, any redistribution must be done only after the recognition of the migrant’s status and illegal immigrants must end up in reception centers outside European borders. These concepts must be assimilated by the governing bodies of the European Union and not left to the initiative of individual States.”
