Ceuta Tragedy: Morocco’s Monarchy Condemned
STATEMENT
European Left – Migration Working Group
Mohamed VI: The ‘Monarch of Misery’ Who Profits from the Death and Exodus of His Own People
We, the Party of the European Left, condemn in the strongest possible terms the humanitarian tragedy that has unfolded in Ceuta, a scene of horror that has so far claimed the lives of 100 migrants. This crisis is not a random event, but a criminal manoeuvre orchestrated by the Alawite monarchy and permitted by ‘Fortress Europe’, which uses human lives as a geopolitical bargaining chip.
We condemn the cynical exploitation of the tragedy in Ceuta by the far right to fuel their anti-migrant and anti-refugee demagoguery and to slander the Spanish government.
1. A crisis provoked as a form of political blackmaiL
The mass influx of more than 60,000 people in just 24 hours – a figure almost equal to the total population of Ceuta – caused the reception services to collapse. The Temporary Immigrant Accommodation Centre (CETI), with a capacity for 520 people, was forced to house more than 900, leaving thousands of people stranded on the streets, beaches and hillsides without access to bread, water or basic supplies. This mass influx was no accident, but a deliberate act by the Moroccan authorities, who ‘ceased to act as a border’ following Spanish President Pedro Sánchez’s visit to Algeria. Whilst thousands of young people threw themselves into the sea, King Mohammed VI watched the exodus with satisfaction, using migration control as a “magic wand” to put pressure on Spain and the EU. This violation of territorial integrity is a diplomatic reprisal that demonstrates Rabat’s utter contempt for the human rights of its own citizens.
2. The corporate empire versus the people’s misery
It is unacceptable that, whilst the royal holding company Al Mada posts record profits of 302 million euros and controls strategic sectors such as banking and energy, the Moroccan people are sinking into poverty. We denounce the systemic corruption of a regime where the richest 1 per cent hoard 50 per cent of the wealth, whilst youth unemployment stands at 35.8 per cent. The anger of ‘Generation Z 212’, expressed in the mass demonstrations of October 2025, is legitimate: millions of euros cannot be invested in stadiums for the 2030 World Cup whilst hospitals, such as the one in Agadir, suffer from unsanitary conditions that lead to the deaths of women due to a lack of basic supplies.
3. The complicity of the European Union and the complacency of the US
The Moroccan monarchy is part of the EU’s migration regime. The Union transfers many millions of euros annually to keep refugees out.
The European Union is responsible for its inhumane treatment of migrants and its failure to provide a dignified reception, allowing cities such as Ceuta to become overwhelmed and leaving thousands of people without bread, water or shelter. We also highlight the ‘double standards’ of the Trump administration, which praises Morocco as a ‘pillar of stability’ whilst ignoring its crimes in Western Sahara and even going so far as to instigate a new ‘Green March’ towards Ceuta and Melilla. The US State Department’s criticism of Spain, accusing it of promoting illegal migration, is a display of political cynicism that seeks only to bolster an allied authoritarian regime.
4. Call for accountability
We support the petition to the UN calling for an investigation into Morocco’s criminal responsibility for provoking this crisis and for the deaths at the border breakwater. We cannot allow Europe’s southern border to remain a graveyard fueled by economic inequality and monarchical tyranny.
We consider the meeting convened in response to a letter from 22 Member States on the “Ceuta” emergency, spearheaded by the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Magnus Brunner, to be entirely unnecessary and a mere political tool. This meeting reiterated calls for the externalization of borders and the widespread implementation of repatriation.
Meanwhile, people continue to die; another 19 bodies have been found off the coast of the Balearic Islands. But Fortress Europe refuses to hear a word about these lives or the deaths in Ceuta.
We demand an end to the externalisation of borders and a migration policy based on solidarity and social justice, breaking free from subservience to regimes that thrive on the suffering of the most vulnerable.