'Act of war': Spain's Vox leader blasts mass migrant invasion from Morocco

Spain's Vox party leader Santiago Abascal has declared the mass migrant crossing into Ceuta "an act of war" promoted by Morocco and tolerated by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Abascal visited the Spanish enclave on Sunday after around 50,000 people crossed from Morocco by land and sea, demanding the border be permanently militarised and the armed forces given the legal powers to defend it "with whatever level of force is necessary". He blamed both Morocco and Sanchez for the crisis, accusing the prime minister of weakening Spain's borders through mass regularisation proposals and encouraging the surge. "The person responsible is Pedro Sánchez, but Morocco shares the blame. We are facing an invasion and it must be called that," he said. "We are facing an act of war promoted by Morocco and tolerated and allowed by Pedro Sánchez in different ways. He has also helped bring about this kind of situation through proposals for mass regularisation that weaken our borders." Spain said crossings had stopped overnight after authorities installed a 500-metre floating barrier off the border, though Reuters footage showed some migrants still arriving. At least 67 people were killed in the rush. Italy announced it would suspend Schengen travel arrangements with Spain for one month, drawing criticism from Sanchez. TalkTV host Mark Dolan backed the move, telling News24 host Paul Murray that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was "quite rightly putting her people first". “Effectively closed the border to Spain," Dolan said.