Spain’s Vox wants to expel Moroccans from Ceuta

Spanish far-right party Vox has pushed hate speech to an alarming level asking Madrid to forfeit Moroccans in Ceuta of Spanish nationality and expel them to Morocco.

Vox leaders in Ceuta in particular, including local spokesman Carlos Verdugo, have been calling Moroccans in the occupied city a “fifth column,” in reaction to calls by senior officials of Moroccan origin in Ceuta who urged Spain to mend ties with its southern neighbor.

Ceuta and the other occupied enclave of Melilla made headlines after a migration crisis that was triggered in a context marked by tense relations between Rabat and Madrid.

Rabat has withdrawn its ambassador to Spain which Morocco accuses of acting in connivance with Algeria and the Polisario to undermine its territorial integrity.

Spain had hosted and offered treatment to separatist Polisario leader who entered Spain under a false identity to evade justice but his presence was unveiled by Morocco.

Vox has made of anti-Moroccan rhetoric a tool of political polarization and mobilization. In May, racist comments by Vox leaders triggered backlash by locals and riots by Moroccan Muslims there who rejected his contemptuous statements.

Morocco’s ambassador to Spain has recently warned of the growing hostility to Morocco and its territorial integrity by some circles in Spain.