On the Ceuta crisis, Sánchez defends Morocco and takes a swipe at King Felipe

Madrid. Newspapers are reporting on thousands of migrants wandering the streets of Ceuta or hiding in drainage tunnels that lead out onto the beaches, whilst television channels are showing outraged residents, though not all of them are willing to give in to the manipulations of violent extremists. Last Sunday, a peaceful demonstration against the government and its handling of the crisis was called off precisely because the organisers – evidently more vigilant than the border guards – had anticipated the arrival of extremist groups which, according to a statement, “incite violence”. Solidarity demonstrations across Spain remain on the agenda for 2 September. It is against this backdrop that Pedro Sánchez began the week by visiting the studios of Cadena Ser radio for his first in-depth interview since the Ceuta crisis – a prelude to 3 September, when the Prime Minister is due to address the plenary session of parliament.

Perhaps it’s because he manages the media agenda more or less as he sees fit, but Sánchez possesses one quality that no one can deny him: he always speaks in the same warm, reassuring tone of voice in the midst of any crisis scenario, like those recorded messages that gently explain how to inflate your life jacket in the event that the aeroplane you’re travelling in is plummeting from 10,000 metres.

He said nothing different from what his ministers have already stated in recent days, for example José Manuel Albares, the Foreign Secretary. From the very outset, the minister has spoken of a ‘reactionary international’ and, in his parliamentary hearing last Friday, blamed influencers, social media, Elon Musk and the Russians for the wave of migrants in Ceuta. Sánchez repeated this with greater aplomb and rhetorical skill, adding Israel to the list of Spain’s enemies. According to the Prime Minister, Moscow is opposed to Spain because of its stance on the war in Ukraine, and Tel Aviv because of its stance on the ‘genocide in Gaza’.

The only excellent relations seem to be those with Morocco, which Sánchez defends. The only real barbed remark, however, was reserved by Sánchez for his king: ‘He has been ruling for over twenty years; how many times has he visited Ceuta and Melilla?’. A statement that is factually incorrect – as Philip VI has been on the throne for 12 years – but, above all, malicious, because the debate over the King’s absence from Ceuta has been ongoing for a month and it is well known that the monarch’s travels must be authorised by the Prime Minister, who continues to say “he will go there at the appropriate time”. So why, then, provoke the Head of State on this sensitive issue?

Here we enter almost dystopian scenarios – grim predictions about Spain’s near future that various analysts and soothsayers have long been conjuring up with arguments that cannot be proven until they come to pass, but which it may be worth taking note of. According to many, Sánchez can only hope to win the 2027 elections by pushing political tensions to the absolute limit; according to some, this tactic would involve a direct confrontation with the Head of State himself – a showdown that could even lead to a ‘David Cameron-style’ solution, similar to Brexit, namely a referendum on whether to have a monarchy or a republic.

With speculation now over, what remains are the facts – few in number, but not without interest. Sánchez’s dig comes after weeks of attacks on the King by Minister Óscar Puente. The reason: during a ceremony in Colombia (the inauguration of the new president, Abelardo de la Espriella), a Spanish journalist known for his questionable methods and far-right views approached Philip VI to take a selfie. The King agreed, and Puente tweeted ‘disgrace’. It appears to be the first time in Spanish history that a member of the government has attacked the monarch so directly. Puente is a minister whose influence is waning, particularly following the Adamuz train crash (46 dead, hundreds injured, and the Spanish high-speed rail network subsequently forced to reduce its speed), but he is also the most outspoken, always seeking the limelight. Amid the social media furore, however, it was Nicolás Redondo, a Basque socialist (albeit expelled in 2023 for opposing amnesty for Catalan secessionists), who wrote that Puente’s gesture was the ‘canary in the coalmine’ and that ‘what Puente is saying, Sánchez will say in due course, if circumstances permit, Sánchez’, who ‘in the next election campaign, will raise certain constitutional issues’. Yesterday morning, with a warm voice that would be the envy of other radio presenters, he apparently already said something.