Political round-up: Ceuta migrant crisis and family corruption cases haunt Pedro Sanchez in New York as Madrid mobilises for Maricarmen

Thousands of people protested in Madrid over the government's handling of a recent migrant influx into Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa. The protest, organised by Sociedad Civil Espanola and backed by the People's Party and far-right Vox, drew varying estimates of 20,000 to 180,000 participants.

Protesters accused the government of failing to protect the country's borders and called for an early general election. They chanted slogans such as "Ceuta is not for sale, Ceuta must be defended" and waved Spanish flags. The migrant crisis in Ceuta began in late July when over 70,000 migrants arrived from Morocco, with most returning within hours, but thousands remaining.

The protests coincide with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's visit to New York for the UN General Assembly. Vox leader Santiago Abascal, who participated in the protest, criticised Sanchez's handling of the crisis, saying "Ceuta remains invaded because Sánchez continues to be Morocco's servant; the migrant invasion is being encouraged."

Brief written by urgent.news from The Olive Press, Free Malaysia Today, The Local Spain, Euronews — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.