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A migrant surge tests Spain's open policies

economist.com

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Re: A migrant surge tests Spain's open policies

#71

Post by sunshine-o »

shevy-java wrote: post #17

Spain dropped the ball here, but I can not help but feel that this has been externally coordinated. That 50.000 people suddenly storm the borders is very very unusual - and also suspicious. That required external coordination really. It also required Morocco to be complicit here and the EU policy to just milk out taxpayer's money is not working, when countries such as Morocco sabotage things. Sanctions should be impl…

> but I can not help but feel that this has been externally coordinated.

All those things are (externally) coordinated. We've been forced to believe by romanticized narratives that things like revolutions or invasions begins with one guy shouting and everybody following him and changing history but it is not. This behaviors only exist in bad history book or fiction.

Also isn't it strange that we've seen so many insurrections being started against trump in the last 10 years, but suddenly when he literally starts a war with Iran against the will of most of the population nothing happen?

Re: A migrant surge tests Spain's open policies

#72

Post by sunshine-o »

My guess is this really show how all our "advanced economies" and sophisticated "democracies" react to various threats and risks.

We spend a lot of money on those threats and there is probably a ton of surveillance involved (satellites, etc.) but somehow there is not way to prevent 50k unsophisticated looters to literally take over your border on a summer day.

For it's own survival I would really advise Europe against starting a war with Russia. Because we can all imagine the pathetic debacle that we will have.

Re: A migrant surge tests Spain's open policies

#73

Post by _DeadFred_ »

colordrops wrote: post #4
Almondsetat wrote: post #2

It's a coordinated hybrid warfare attack. Terrible title. Or are the "migrants" Belarus has been shipping to Poland also a "surge"?

Yes, a concerted campaign on TikTok and Instagram (hint hint) targeted these people with lies about the consequences of a supreme court ruling on immigration. This happened soon after Spain proposed an EU measure to break association with Israel.

[flagged]

Re: A migrant surge tests Spain's open policies

#74

Post by hamper653 »

grumple wrote: post #68
hamper653 wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You believe these people to be Moroccans? Really?

What conspiracy theory is this that you’re pushing that these were not Moroccans? You think there’s some other large group of people who live in Morocco and were just ready to run into Ceuta within a day of this Spanish ruling?

> You think there’s some other large group of people who live in Morocco and were just ready to run into Ceuta?

Morocco, being close to Spain, is a well-known hub for migrants from all over Africa hoping to make it to Europe, yes.

Do you also believe that all the migrants attempting to cross the Channel from Calais are… French?

Re: A migrant surge tests Spain's open policies

#75

Post by hamper653 »

Caius-Cosades wrote: post #69
DrProtic wrote: post #46

This whole concept of you having to accommodate people illegally entering, or in this case, storming your border is so alien to me. Once a force of 60k men violently break into your country your duty is to start shooting, instead they had Spanish citizens have to bar their house doors and windows with couches and tremble in fear. Completely insane.

Europeans voted to have open borders. Open borders include having 60k men come into the market zone previously known as "Spain" freely.

If only.

Re: A migrant surge tests Spain's open policies

#76

Post by fcatalan »

sunshine-o wrote: post #70
fcatalan wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We are not in the business of mass massacres. Maybe the US should come and study how to deport 60k people in 24h whithout having to shoot anyone.

> We are not in the business of mass massacres. Those are unarmed but aggressive foreigners. There are way to stop them entering your country in mass in a few hours without committing a massacre. Western Europe has no problem using crowd control methods against their own people when they are protesting for good reasons (remember the gilets jaunes?). But states like Spain are totally incompetent and corrupt. They won'…

In 2014 there was an attempt to swim over in the same exact place by just 300 people. Spanish police used rubber bullets to repel them and 14 died in the water.

More than 60 have died this time, even unoppossed.

Deaths could have been easily in the hundreds or thousands in the case of a similar heavy handed response, but our corrupt and incompetent forces have succesfully controlled and defused the situation in a peaceful and humane way within 24h.

I'm quite proud actually.

Re: A migrant surge tests Spain's open policies

#77

Post by colordrops »

_DeadFred_ wrote: post #73
colordrops wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, a concerted campaign on TikTok and Instagram (hint hint) targeted these people with lies about the consequences of a supreme court ruling on immigration. This happened soon after Spain proposed an EU measure to break association with Israel.

[flagged]

I stated reported facts, please try a real response rather than snark.

It is literally antisemitic to suggest Zionism and Judaism are the same thing.

Re: A migrant surge tests Spain's open policies

#78

Post by 1vuio0pswjnm7 »

27 Jan 2026 20:42:12 UTC

Spain approves decree to regularise half a million undocumented migrants

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/27/spain-decree-r...

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46786288

[ok]

28 Apr 2026 14:04:48 UTC

Spain Approves Regularization Process for Migrants Residing in the Country

https://www.envoyglobal.com/news-alert/spain-approves-extrao...

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47934783

[ok]

31 Jul 2026 01:39:16 UTC

Ceuta, an autonomous city of Spain in North Africa

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceuta

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49118079

[ok]

31 Jul 2026 01:52:21 UTC

Migrants swim from Morocco to Spanish enclave of Ceuta

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg4drwzkrkxo

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49118155

[ok]

31 Jul 2026 12:50:06 UTC

About 60k migrants arrive in Ceuta in 24 hours, Spanish territory's leader says

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2kp639yx4o

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49122462

[ok]

31 Jul 2026 17:05:26 UTC

Italy suspends Schengen with Spain over Ceuta crisis

https://en.yabiladi.com/articles/details/199800/italy-suspen...

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49125843

[ok]

31 Jul 2026 23:26:57 UTC

Tens of Thousands of Migrants voluntarily leave after crossing into Ceuta

https://apnews.com/article/spain-ceuta-migration-66839d113f2...

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49129646

[ok]

01 Aug 2026 06:51:39 UTC

Spain Regains Control of Enclave After Migrants Overrun It

https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/spain-rushes-to-control-bor...

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49131792

[ok]

Re: A migrant surge tests Spain's open policies

#79

Post by xdennis »

fcatalan wrote: post #52
DrProtic wrote: post #46

This whole concept of you having to accommodate people illegally entering, or in this case, storming your border is so alien to me. Once a force of 60k men violently break into your country your duty is to start shooting, instead they had Spanish citizens have to bar their house doors and windows with couches and tremble in fear. Completely insane.

We are not in the business of mass massacres. Maybe the US should come and study how to deport 60k people in 24h whithout having to shoot anyone.

> We are not in the business of mass massacres.

Ridiculous take. Defense is not a massacre. They are almost all fighting age men, and they outnumber the fighting age men of Ceuta. They've caused enourmous damage to Ceuta. All of this could have been prevented if there were men with guns guarding those walls.

During Franco, Ceuta was guarded by a 1 meter tall fence made of barbed wire. No one dared to cross it because they knew what would happen if they invaded.

Re: A migrant surge tests Spain's open policies

#80

Post by pvaldes »

hamper653 wrote: post #67
dumberquestions wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're quite obviously Moroccan.

Obviously? Morocco is a well-known hub for migrants from all over Africa who try to reach Europe, but these ones are "quite obviously" Moroccan? What makes it this obvious then?

Is obvious because there is no way 48000 people on flip-flops and football t-shirts, without neither documents, nor money, would be allowed to happily step back into Morocco unless they are citizens.

Also because real sub saharan immigrants would fight tooth and nails before to voluntarily returning to Morocco. A place where many report been abused for months and years, and where they are trapped unless they pay the local mafias a small fortune to quit the place.

Flash mob is a perfect way to describe this, but if Morocco government was behind that, it backfired spectacularly with zero real gains to show for the at least 67 Moroccan citizens that died at the sea just to have a laugh at Spain.

Spain is seen as the victim and after past negative experiences has endured this with relative grace and dignity. Haters will hate, trumpers will trump, and nobody cares. Europe can say what they want, but the crisis has mostly solved itself in 24 hours, and the video of the Spanish agents running to comfort a lost little child crying alone, has made the entire country proud of their policemen.

Morocco instead is seen as the invader, has lost international trust and now it needs to bury many of their citizens including children. The families of the children drown probably think now that this has been a really stupid idea.

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