The mass breach of Spain’s border at Ceuta by thousands of migrants constitutes a “continental catastrophe”, according to a leading Brussels analyst, as casualties mount. John O’Brien, head of communications at MCC Brussels, was speaking as footage emerged of crowds pouring into the Spanish North African enclave while at least 18 people died in the attempt.
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Mr O’Brien said: “The footage from Ceuta and Melilla… ought to be of grave concern to all patriotic or sovereignty-minded people in Europe and beyond.” The scale and pace of what he termed a “mass violation” of Spanish and therefore European Union border was suggestive not of what the EU prefers to term ‘irregular migration’ or of ‘humanitarian need’ but of an “invasion”, Mr O’Brien claimed. He added: “Despite the pleas of local officials, the Spanish state has sat back whilst tens of thousands of Moroccan residents blatantly violate all norms and laws of national sovereignty in what appears to be a coordinated attempt to render these Spanish territories unviable as Spanish.

“Even if order is restored, the legal architecture of European institutions will mean that there is little prospect of the illegal arrivals ever being returned.” The episode is “both a national and a continental catastrophe – but it is one that has been invited by both Spanish and European progressive elites.”

Mr O’Brien reserved particular criticism for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez: “In Spain, the government of Pedro Sanchez has taken every possible step to undermine Spanish sovereignty. Not only does Sanchez prefer to draw his authority from international institutions rather than the Spanish people, but he has deliberately undermined the very existence of Spain as a sovereign entity. His mass amnesty for illegal migrants, which by some accounts will now number some 2 million people, has called into question the very concept of Spain’s border integrity and the integrity of the Spanish people.”

He added: “The crisis has also called into question the key elements of the European Union. Not for the first time, countries are openly questioning the wisdom of free movement within the EU. Sanchez is only enacting on a grand scale the practices of globalist elites.

“The European institutions have overseen the creation of a vast legal and bureaucratic system which undermines sovereignty and border integrity at every turn. The tangled web of Strasbourg, Luxembourg and national courts has made serious attempts to control the border effectively impossible… Let us remember: the most significant EU action in relation to borders was not to defend them, but to penalise financially the Hungarian government which attempted to protect its borders.”

Mr O’Brien argued: “Thus, whatever qualities this influx has as an invasion, it is far better understood as a surrender. This collapse of the integrity of Spanish territory is the logical consequence of a political elite who have surrendered any attachment to national sovereignty. Surrendering sovereignty is logically equivalent to the surrender of territory. The Spanish people, on the whole, still possess a strong attachment to their sovereignty. It is the Spanish political elite who have, metaphorically speaking, unlocked the gates to the city while the populace sleep. The Spanish elites have betrayed their own people.”

The EU looked set to invite more such scenes through its accelerating ‘Pact for the Mediterranean,’ which aims to bring many more North African ‘young people’ to Europe for ‘cultural and educational exchange’, Mr O’Brien argued.

He added: “Time and again, European elites show greater affinity for the ‘young people’ of North Africa than their own populations, especially the young people of Europe who bear the brunt of the economic downturn and the EU’s repeated moves to drive down the cost of labour via the importation of foreigners.”

Mr O’Brien also criticised American and Israeli observers: “Pedro Sanchez is not Spain… To see commentators and senior politicians invoke the language of anti-colonial struggle to justify a Moroccan takeover of these Spanish territories not only alienates the conservative populations of Europe… but it legitimates the same language which can be easily applied to America and Israel.”

He concluded: “The grim lesson is that without a forthright attachment to sovereignty, nothing can be done to protect our countries. It is high time that a movement of European patriots take substantive action to take borders seriously… From now on, sovereignty must be the rallying cry of all European patriots.”

The remarks came as the border crisis boiled over on Thursday and overnight. Spanish state broadcaster RTVE showed burned cars on the Moroccan side after reported clashes.

Rachid Sbihi, leader of a local Civil Guard workers’ association, described a severe crisis: “People are still entering. The reinforcements that have arrived are only helping the injured and other humanitarian efforts. It’s chaotic.”

Among the 18 dead, many drowned while others died in a stampede at Tarajal beach. Similar disorder erupted at Melilla, where migrants clashed with police, throwing rocks and setting vehicles ablaze.

Ceuta’s regional leader Juan Jesus Vivas said: “A national-security emergency and army deployment are vital to guarantee the inviolability of the frontier and citizen safety.”

Mr Sanchez was expected to visit the enclave on Friday with the interior minister. France has activated its Rapid Intervention Border Force and strengthened checks with Spain.