The migrant crisis in Ceuta reveals Europe’s left-wing tribalism
On Thursday, approximately 60,000 Moroccans crossed the border between mainland Morocco and the Spanish “enclave” of Ceuta, an “autonomous city” in North Africa administered by the government (and kingdom) of Spain. Videos circulating on social media showed hordes of mostly young Moroccan men streaming by land and sea into the tiny coastal city, with the overwhelmed local government calling for the Spanish leadership to send reinforcements and declare a state of emergency, which Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez refused to do – according to him, national emergencies could not be declared for migration, whatever the scale.
Right-wing media pundits and officials – including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – expressed shock and called for the suspension of the Schengen agreement with Spain over the threat of widespread illegal immigration. This fear was overstated: as expressed by Moroccan commentators, the influx was mostly driven by social media hype and mob mentality resulting from the Spanish government’s positive legal and rhetorical stance towards migration.
That right-wing commentators would leverage the incident to bolster their anti-migration platforms is unsurprising. Meanwhile, the left twisted itself into a pretzel to defend Spain. Leftist commentators blamed Israel and the US for pushing Morocco to weaponize migration and punish Spain for its rapprochement towards Algeria and its opposition to so-called Western imperialism, including the Iran war and any relationship to Israel. This is an about-face on two levels: one, that migration can be a “punishment” prompted by nefarious political motives, as opposed to the legitimate movement of people fleeing persecution or poverty; and two, that these illegitimate political motives are those of the Kingdom of Morocco and its claim to the Western Sahara.
The framing of Spain as an “anti-imperial” agent against the “colonizing” force of Morocco is an absurd perversion of the ridiculous but very dominant colonizer/colonized dichotomy the left has enforced for the last few years, particularly when it comes to Israel. This dichotomy purportedly states that colonialism is any European presence on “indigenous” land: so, Israel is deemed broadly illegitimate as a European Jewish presence on indigenous Palestinian land. That an estimated half of Jewish Israelis are Mizrahi Jews or of other non-European descent is conveniently ignored or excused as complicity.
Ceuta – and its fellow “enclave” Melilla – have been under Spanish control since the 1400s. By the progressive definition of colonialism – European or Western control of indigenous territory – they are colonies. What’s more, the Kingdom of Morocco claims them as its own, though it has repeatedly leveraged them to shift Spanish political attitudes regarding ownership of the Western Sahara. In 2021, thousands of Moroccans were able to reach Ceuta in what was seen as a response to Spain’s sympathy for the leader of the Western Sahara independence movement, leading Spain to quickly declare its support of Morocco’s territorial claims. Some commentators have said that these influxes are a precursor to another “Green March,” where over 300,000 Moroccans marched into the Spanish-owned Western Sahara in 1975 to claim it at the direction of King Hassan II, leading Spain to relinquish territorial claims.
That left-wing commentators don’t broadly support Morocco in fully reclaiming these territories as part of “decolonization” speaks both to the absurdity of the colonizer/colonized dichotomy and the moral bankruptcy of the left when it comes to criticizing one of their own. Sanchez has become a cult-like figure in European progressive circles for his constant promotion of the Palestinian cause and pro-migrant policies. It was one such policy that partially sparked the recent migrant influx: earlier in July, the Spanish Supreme Court ruled that migrants caught at sea on their way to the “enclaves” of Ceuta and Melilla cannot be summarily deported. Regardless of this ruling, however, Spanish authorities have already declared that they are working to speedily deport Moroccans out of Spanish territory and reinforce the border, as internal rifts emerge in Spain’s already fractured left-wing coalition on how to address the crisis.
Whatever the outcome, the incident in Ceuta has demonstrated that the European left will never find fault in a fellow comrade. “Sanchismo” has so far survived allegations of corruption and misconduct swirling around the Prime Minister’s office and family, which have already resulted in the conviction of one of his close confidants and the barring of his brother from public office.
Such tribalism characterizes a reality in Europe where the political spectrum is dominated by populist far-left and far-right parties emptily virtue-signaling and vying for views on TikTok while ignoring domestic concerns or their candidates’ incompetence. The far-left blames Western imperialism, Israel, and the far-right for all problems or failures, while the far-right blames socialism, immigrants, and the far-left for all problems or failures. The result is total incoherence and a grim future.
