More than 200 demonstrators in Ceuta pulled on Guy Fawkes masks and stood in silence for five minutes on Thursday evening, November 5, to demand immediate government action over the migrant crisis. The protest took place in the city's Plaza de los Reyes at 8pm, with the crowd erupting into applause after the silence.
The demonstration was held symbolically on Bonfire Night, evoking the Gunpowder Plot in London and the anti-establishment mask made famous by V for Vendetta.
Protest over unprecedented border surge
The action came after more than 70,000 migrants crossed into the Spanish North African enclave from Morocco over two days in late July. Local president Juan Jesus Vivas warned that around 15,000 migrants remain trapped in the enclave, overwhelming local infrastructure, public services and emergency accommodation.
Madrid officials dispute the figures, but residents have raised concerns over overcrowding, makeshift migrant camps and security fears.
Manifesto delivered to crowd
Organisers Estefania Fernandez and Marina Rovira delivered a manifesto once the silence lifted, warning prime minister Pedro Sanchez that the enclave would not be ignored.
"For five minutes, there were no sides. No divided beliefs. No party political slogans or interests beyond those of our own land," they said. "They told us that exhaustion would eventually turn us into shadows. They were wrong."
"This mask does not hide our identity: it elevates it. It makes us all equal. Let those who make decisions hundreds of kilometres away, without setting foot in our streets, hear this loud and clear. Ceuta is not a bargaining chip."
Rising fury across Spain
The rally marks the latest flashpoint in months of rising anger across Spain. In September, thousands marched through Ceuta demanding returns and redistributions, while around 30,000 people took to the streets of Madrid late last month demanding hardline border enforcement, rapid deportations and an overhaul of Spanish immigration laws.
Local leaders have accused Madrid of abandoning the territory, criticising Mr Sanchez for failing to deploy state resources to clear the backlog or return irregular arrivals to Morocco.
While roughly 3,500 irregular migrants entered Ceuta by land and sea throughout 2025, the July 30-31 surge propelled the 2026 total past 80,000 entries as of November, an increase of nearly 2,200%, or 23 times 2025's total. Madrid claims that between 75 and 90%, or more than 55,000, were quickly expelled or returned to Morocco, while local officials counter that up to 15,000 migrants, or 20% of arrivals, are still stranded in Ceuta with formal deportations stalled.
