Residents across the Vega Baja gathered on Wednesday evening to show solidarity with Ceuta amid the migration crisis affecting the Spanish autonomous city.
Demonstrations were held in town squares throughout the region following the arrival of thousands of migrants, many of whom were left sleeping on beaches, in public squares and along streets.
The rallies began at 8pm and were supported by several municipalities governed by the PSOE, despite the party’s decision not to endorse the initiative. Socialist leaders argued that the mobilisation had been approved unilaterally by the Partido Popular within the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP).
Orihuela hosted two gatherings: one in Plaza del Carmen in the city centre and another outside the Playa Flamenca Town Hall on the Orihuela Costa.
In Torrevieja, Mayor Eduardo Dolón encouraged residents to attend a rally in Plaza de la Constitución through a video shared online. The local PP also promoted the demonstration through its social media channels.
According to Torrevieja City Council, between 4,000 and 5,000 people attended. Numerous Spanish flags were displayed, along with banners carrying messages opposing the arrival of migrants.
Socialist Municipalities Divided
Algorfa, Granja de Rocamora and Benferri—all governed by the PSOE—also organised gatherings in support of Ceuta.
The decision by Algorfa attracted particular attention because its mayor, Manuel Ros, is a member of the regional PSOE executive and a provincial deputy.
“What is happening in Ceuta is not a matter of ideology; it is a matter of people,” Ros said.
Other PSOE-controlled municipalities, including Rojales, Guardamar del Segura, Dolores, Los Montesinos, San Miguel de Salinas, Rafal and San Isidro, followed the party’s directive and did not formally support the demonstrations.
Joaquín Hernández, mayor of Dolores and secretary-general of the PSOE in the Vega Baja, published a letter sent to the FEMP expressing his “deep unease and concern” over how the decision had been taken.
He accused the federation of acting without the necessary agreement between its political groups and of using Spain’s principal municipal organisation in a “unilateral and partisan” manner.
However, Hernández stressed that solidarity with Ceuta was “beyond question”. His criticism, he said, concerned the decision-making process and what he regarded as a failure to respect the political pluralism that had characterised the FEMP for more than four decades.
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