Police clear Ceuta migrants off beaches in Spanish enclave

At least 10,000 of the 72,000 migrants who broke through fence from Morocco in July remain in the Spanish enclave.

Hundreds of migrants from the beaches of Ceuta are rounded up by police before being moved to a temporary camp in the Spanish enclave's port area, weeks after a record influx overwhelmed the territory [Screengrab/AFP]

Spanish police have started clearing thousands of migrants from the beaches of Ceuta, an enclave on North Africa’s coast which saw a surge of arrivals from neighbouring Morocco in July.

Riot police ‌fired rubber bullets into the air and struck people with batons on Friday ⁠as they began ⁠an operation, which started shortly before 7am local time (05:00 GMT).

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More than 72,000 people surged into the 18.5 square kilometre (7.2sq mile) enclave at the end of July in an unprecedented border ⁠rush, although most later left.

Spain estimates 10,000 migrants remain in the tiny territory.

The authorities have built new temporary housing inside Ceuta’s port to hold 1,700 people. NGOs say thousands remain unhoused and have been sleeping rough in camps.

The AFP news agency reported that the new location where some of the migrants are being settled in tents near the port has showers and beds.

Ceuta, with an official population of 80,000 residents, has been in Spanish possession since 1580.

It is one of two Spanish territories on the North African coast, along with Melilla.

Christians and Muslims, Spanish and Moroccan residents and day workers all live there in relative harmony behind a border fence that many migrants from across Africa attempt to cross or swim around for a better life in Europe.

On Friday, EU Migration Commissioner ⁠Magnus Brunner said that images of migrants crossing into ⁠Ceuta have fuelled support for far-right parties despite a sharp decline in irregular arrivals in Europe following tougher migration policies.

“We have the decreasing numbers, but images from Ceuta, of course, overshadow the actual successes and the actual facts and figures,” Brunner told Reuters in an interview.

He said these images “fuel the far right”, which was why “it is so important ‌to return those people as soon as possible to show that we have control”.

Separately on Friday, Spain’s World Cup-winning coach Luis de la Fuente released a video from Ceuta as he announced his Nations League squad in a show of support for the enclave.

7 月份从摩洛哥突破围栏的 72,000 名移民中，至少有 10,000 人仍然留在西班牙飞地。

在西班牙飞地休达港口区的一个临时营地，数百名来自休达海滩的移民被警方抓捕。此前数周，创纪录的移民涌入使该地区不堪重负。[截图/法新社]

西班牙警方已开始从休达海滩清理数千名移民。休达是北非海岸的一个飞地，7 月份曾涌入大量来自邻国摩洛哥的移民。

周五，防暴警察开始行动，向空中发射橡皮子弹，并用警棍殴打人群。行动于当地时间早上 7 点前不久（格林尼治标准时间 05:00）开始。

国际移民组织报告称，由于风险加剧，经海路前往欧洲的移民人数急剧下降（共3份清单，此为第1份）。

西班牙在休达公布参加欧洲国家联赛的三人名单之二，以声援移民危机

列表 3/3：休达警方在难民营转移过程中用警棍殴打移民

7 月底，超过 72,000 人涌入这片 18.5 平方公里（7.2 平方英里）的飞地，引发了一场前所未有的边境抢购潮，尽管大多数人后来都离开了。

西班牙估计仍有 1 万名移民留在这个狭小的领土上。

当局已在休达港口内建造了新的临时住房，可容纳1700人。非政府组织表示，仍有数千人无家可归，只能露宿街头。

法新社报道称，一些移民被安置在港口附近的新帐篷里，那里有淋浴和床铺。

休达官方人口为 8 万，自 1580 年以来一直处于西班牙的统治之下。

它是西班牙在北非海岸的两个领土之一，另一个是梅利利亚。

基督徒和穆斯林、西班牙人和摩洛哥居民以及日工都相对和谐地生活在那里，他们被一道边境围栏隔开，许多来自非洲各地的移民试图越过或绕过这道围栏，以求在欧洲过上更好的生活。

周五，欧盟移民事务专员马格努斯·布鲁纳表示，尽管在更严格的移民政策之后，欧洲非法入境人数大幅下降，但移民涌入休达的画面却助长了人们对极右翼政党的支持。

“我们看到感染人数在下降，但休达的画面当然掩盖了实际的成功和事实数据，”布鲁纳在接受路透社采访时表示。

他说，这些照片“助长了极右势力”，因此“尽快将这些人遣返以表明我们能够控制局势非常重要”。

周五，西班牙世界杯冠军教练路易斯·德拉富恩特在休达发布了一段视频，宣布了他的国家联赛阵容，以示对该飞地的支持。