Did you see the insane videos coming from Ceuta?
Authorities in Ceuta asked the government in Madrid to declare a national emergency and requested army intervention, as thousands crossed into the tiny Spanish territory.
Videos shot at Tarajal beach showed crowds of people, mainly Moroccans,walking around the breakwaters and running on the beach and roads.
While the majority appear to be young men, there were also families with women and children. “Viva España!” some shouted to a freelance photographer working for The Associated Press filming the scene.
The escalation at the border between Spain and Morocco comes after a surge in migrants attempting to reach the small exclave, mainly by swimming.
Watch:
AP News also had an update on the situation:
Spain’s interior ministry said it would guarantee the safety of citizens and the integrity of the nation’s border, but that the government could not declare a national emergency over migration concerns.
“The situation is absolute chaos,” said Rachid Sbihi, head of the association that represents Spain’s Civil Guard officers in Ceuta, who police the border. “It’s not possible to give precise numbers, but there are thousands of migrants crossing,” he said, adding that the border had “totally collapsed.”
Achraf Maimouni, a member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights in northern Morocco, described the situation as ‘’exceptional.’’
“The Tarajal border was opened under unusual circumstances this morning and people crossed,’’ he said.
