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Ceuta under siege: Thousands of migrants charge through streets of Spanish enclave as police attempt to move them to official tent camp

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Cite

Silver, E. (2026, September 18). Ceuta under siege: Thousands of migrants charge through streets of Spanish enclave as police attempt to move them to official tent camp. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16141587/Ceuta-siege-Thousands-migrants-charge-streets-Spanish-enclave-police-attempt-official-tent-camp.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Daily Mail · collected 2026-09-18 · by Eliana Silver

Quick Summary

Migrants in Ceuta charged through streets on Friday as Spanish authorities moved them from beaches to a new tent camp at the port area. The transfer aimed to accommodate about 1,700 people, but thousands had remained after tens of thousands crossed from Morocco in late July. Video shows migrants cheering and clashing with police who used tear gas to manage the chaos. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez defended his government's handling of the crisis despite criticism from locals and opposition parties.
Written by AI on 2026-09-18, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 18, Spanish police launched an operation to move thousands of migrants from beaches to a newly constructed tent camp within Ceuta's port area. The operation started early morning as around 3,000 migrants were transferred, leading to chaos and confrontations between the migrants and authorities, who reportedly used tear gas and rubber bullets to maintain order. Of the initial influx of over 72,000 migrants from Morocco in late July, approximately 10,000 remain, with nearly 13,000 still sleeping rough on beaches despite the new housing capacity for 1,700 people. Local leaders and NGOs criticized authorities for their slow response to provide basic shelter for the migrants.

Written for “Migrants In Ceuta Conflict” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Migrants In Ceuta Conflict
World · 5 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 13% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 0 of 13 claims Outlet record 60/100
BBC News
⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 4 of 26 claims Outlet record 68/100
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 13 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles describe different events occurring on the same day: one about migrants charging through streets in Ceuta, and another about Spain's coach announcing a squad to show support for Ceuta amid its migration crisis.”
Al Jazeera
Hedges 0 of 14 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A describes migrants charging through Ceuta's streets as authorities move them to a new tent camp, while Article B reports on Spain's coach announcing a soccer squad in Ceuta to show support for the migration crisis.”
The Straits Times
Hedges 1 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes a specific incident of migrants charging through streets during their transfer to a new camp, while Article B discusses broader political implications and trends related to migration in Ceuta.”
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Centre further right than this Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 60/100
Al Jazeera
Hedges 2 of 21 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A discusses a trend in migrant crossings to Europe via sea routes since January this year, while Article B reports on a specific incident involving migrants charging through the streets of Ceuta on a particular day.”
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 2 of 27 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles describe different phases of the migrant situation in Ceuta, not the same specific incident.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
39
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
13%
5 of 39 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
69/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
5
World
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-18 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 8837 article(s) · 22 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 22 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Eliana Silver
66 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Thousands of people have been arrested, while peaceful protesters and officers have faced violent attacks as unrest continues to spread. And tensions continue to climb, as France's Interior Minister warned on Thursday of a 'very high risk of public disorder' and announced around 70,000 police officers will be deployed for a new wave of protests this weekend.
🔮 Attributing recent unrest in France to immigration, Trump said he would welcome immigrants from some countries but not from Norway 'because I didn't get the Nobel Prize...
🔮 If the rest of the opposition teams up with Arab parties, a rare and politically risky move, they could potentially form a majority government in parliament, the Knesset.
🔮 Autopsy results have now revealed that the royal most likely died after falling 40ft from a building in the area. And rumours are now swirling that the 29-year-old may have been connected to a cryptocurrency scandal.
🔮 At 8.48am, just five minutes before the crash, the Iryo driver called again, warning she still could not restart the system.
🔮 The death toll of a fatal train crash in Spain which killed 68 people is expected to rise as questions remain over the technical room 'error' which caused the smash.
🔮 Israel's Central Elections Committee was tallying votes on Wednesday and it will likely take until Thursday before definitive results of the election - the first since the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023 - are known.
🔮 Opinion polls suggest a tight race, with no clear winner expected, setting the stage for weeks or even months of negotiations among around a dozen parties expected to win seats in the Knesset.
🔮 Voters heading to the polls will pass the faces of fallen soldiers peering from stickers on train station walls and faded yellow ribbons honouring the hostages, the last of whom were returned in a ceasefire deal last year.
🔮 'Religious tensions remain very high in the area and could escalate into a wider crisis if left unaddressed,' the first witness said.
Also by Eliana Silver
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 66 articles by Eliana Silver →

Topics

CNI Ceuta Daily Mail Spanish the National Police

Subjects

Ceuta GPE · 7× Spanish NORP · 4× Sánchez PERSON · 3× CNI ORG · 2× Morocco GPE · 2× Daily Mail ORG · 1× El Intermedio ORG · 1× Pedro Sanchez PERSON · 1× Riot Control Unit ORG · 1× the National Police ORG · 1×

Narrative

'The city is completely different from what it was before this event; Ceutans have lost their joy and their lifestyles have been completely shaken up,' local regional president Juan Jesus Vivas told lawmakers in the European Parliament.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-18
🔮 Sánchez has however, insisted his government had not mishandled the crisis, instead saying authorities simply could not cope with the influx.

Claims (39 extracted, 5 hedged)

- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source This is the moment thousands of migrants ran through the streets of Ceuta as authorities attempted to move them to a new tent camp. asserted
authorities → see → camp
Police on Friday began moving the migrants from the beach to the Spanish enclave's port area. asserted
Police → begin → area
During the transfer, police struggled to contain crowds of people jostling to secure a spot at the new tented site after weeks of living on the beaches. asserted
police → struggle → beaches
Authorities say there are enough tents for 1,700 people. asserted
Authorities → say → people
Video footage shows people charging through the streets towards the new camp, cheering and shouting as they run. asserted
they → show → camp
According to local reports, the National Police and Riot Control Unit were forced to intervene, reportedly using tear gas to stop the chaos. uncertain
Police → accord → chaos
It comes after tens of thousands of migrants flooded across the border from Morocco in late July. asserted
thousands → come → July
Although most returned, around 13,000 have remained, according to local authorities, with many now sleeping rough on the territory's beaches. uncertain
many → return → beaches
During the transfer, police struggled to contain crowds of people jostling to secure a spot at the new tented site Video footage shows people charging through the streets towards the new camp, cheering and shouting as they run Migrants clash with police as they await transfers to a new camp Police started rounding up the migrants at 6.30am according to a Spanish government source in Ceuta. uncertain
Police → struggle → Ceuta
The tent city in the port has showers and beds, the source added. asserted
source → have → showers
The Spanish government went ahead with the transfer despite opposition from the conservative local authority. asserted
government → go → authority
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has faced strong criticism over the handling of the crisis. asserted
Sanchez → face → crisis
Sánchez has however, insisted his government had not mishandled the crisis, instead saying authorities simply could not cope with the influx. uncertain
authorities → insist → influx
Speaking to left-leaning television programme El Intermedio on September 14, Sánchez admitted authorities had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of arrivals. asserted
authorities → speak → arrivals
He said the government hoped to have the situation under control by the end of the year and appealed for patience from residents of Ceuta, which has a population of around 84,000. asserted
which → say → 84,000
The prime minister also faced questions over what his government knew before the influx. asserted
government → face → influx
Officials initially maintained they had received no warning, with the government delegation in Ceuta saying on August 25 that it had no information about what would happen on July 30. asserted
what → maintain → July
But the government later released 40 previously classified communications showing Spain's National Intelligence Centre (CNI) had warned on July 29 of organised attempts to enter Ceuta by land and sea. asserted
Centre → release → land
One communication referred to a social media call for an attempted mass crossing the following evening, while the CNI also alerted Moroccan intelligence. asserted
CNI → refer → intelligence
Sánchez rejected suggestions that the messages amounted to a formal warning of what was about to unfold. asserted
what → reject → warning
'The WhatsApps are not proof that there was an alert, quite the contrary,' he said. asserted
he → be → ?
Meanwhile, locals have expressed that they fear for their safety amid daily reports of violence, including attacks against the military and dozens of sexual assaults. asserted
they → express → assaults
Officials have warned that the small city in north Africa remains on the brink of disaster, with the 'worst of the worst' still there. asserted
city → warn → worst
A group of migrants living at Benitez Beach wait to be transferred by Civil Guard members Migrants set a bonfire to cook dinner at the Trampolin beach settlement Migrants' makeshift camp on Benitez Beach in Ceuta asserted
Migrants → live → Ceuta
The trouble risks escalating into violence, public safety experts told the Spanish newspaper El Mundo earlier this month. asserted
experts → escalate → newspaper
'The more normal ones have already left, while the worst of the worst remain,' one expert said of the situation. asserted
expert → leave → situation
'Little by little, they're running out of the money they brought from Morocco. asserted
they → run → Morocco
For them, topping up their mobile phone credit is a vital necessity, which could lead them to do foolish things... uncertain
which → top → things
In short, it's only a matter of time before a tragedy occurs.' asserted
tragedy → occur → time
Ceuta's chief prosecutor, Silvia Rojas, said there has been 'an exponential increase' in crimes such as sexual assault, including against minors. asserted
prosecutor → say → minors
On Friday, an Algerian citizen in Ceuta was found guilty of sexual assault and will be deported from Spain for five years. asserted
citizen → find → years
The Spanish Ministry of Equality confirmed 21 sexual assaults in August, five of which involved penetration and nine of which were committed against minors. asserted
nine → confirm → minors
Meanwhile, sanitary conditions are dire in the makeshift shanty towns, and one Moroccan teen this week tested positive for monkeypox. asserted
teen → test → monkeypox
He is currently in isolation and receiving treatment. asserted
He → receive → treatment
Last week, Ceuta's leader demanded more EU help for the 'pressure cooker' territory following the massive migrant rush into the region. asserted
leader → demand → region
'The city is completely different from what it was before this event; Ceutans have lost their joy and their lifestyles have been completely shaken up,' local regional president Juan Jesus Vivas told lawmakers in the European Parliament. asserted
Vivas → lose → Parliament
'Ceuta is currently a pressure cooker which can explode at any minute. asserted
which → explode → minute
Major protests in Spain have taken place in response to the migrant arrivals, with violence erupting between migrants and Ceutan residents. asserted
violence → take → migrants
Last month, locals stormed a makeshift migrant camp and set it on fire. asserted
locals → storm → fire
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