Merchants in Ceuta experienced two days of fear and uncertainty after the massive entry of illegal immigrants from Morocco overwhelmed the operational capacity of the city and left scenes of looting, thefts, and establishments forced to close due to the inability to guarantee safety.
From the urban center to areas like Puertas del Campo and the Mixto neighborhood, numerous owners lowered their shutters or began to manually regulate customer entry. This measure aimed to prevent dozens of people from accessing the stores simultaneously and to protect both the workers and those who were already shopping.
While some businesses served people who had arrived with money and needed to buy clothes, medications, or replace belongings damaged during the crossing, other establishments reported losses of merchandise, harassment, and looting carried out by Muslim groups roaming the streets in search of food, but also of high-value commercial products.
Arantxa Campos Gorriño, president of the Confederation of Entrepreneurs of Ceuta, explained that the entry of tens of thousands of people in a few hours made it impossible to maintain the usual functioning of a city of approximately 83,000 inhabitants.
The business leader even recounted that some stores received immigrants seeking assistance because their iPhone 17 had gotten wet. However, at the same time, other food establishments suffered thefts and crowds of people demanding food and drink.
