Aznar accuses Sánchez of "treason" and calls for militarizing Ceuta while warning that coexistence "will explode"

José María Aznar has raised the tone against Pedro Sánchez to the maximum this Friday over the Ceuta crisis. The former President of the Government has accused the head of the Executive of acting with “cowardice, incompetence, and betrayal,” has defended the militarization of the autonomous city, and has predicted that coexistence “will explode” if the situation continues to deteriorate.

During an interview on 'Espejo Público', on Antena 3, Aznar has maintained that the Government has yielded to Morocco's interests and has “sided with the invaders.” When expressly asked if he considers Sánchez a traitor, he replied yes.

The former leader of the PP has also demanded to deploy the Army in Ceuta. “Without a doubt,” he answered when asked if he would militarize the city. According to his approach, the Armed Forces have the constitutional obligation to defend sovereignty and territorial integrity, while the Government must guarantee borders and national security.

Ceuta remains, in any case, under full Spanish sovereignty and institutional control. The massive entry recorded at the end of July overwhelmed the border and public services, but it did not imply a loss of territorial control or a foreign military occupation. The city also has a permanent presence of the Armed Forces. Aznar has not specified what additional role the military would assume or how their participation would be articulated in border or public order tasks.

Aznar mixes the massive entry with the port operation

The former president has used the images of tension experienced during the transfer of migrants to the temporary port camp to warn that the crisis “will get worse every day.” “The violence will be greater and coexistence will explode because the situation is unsustainable,” he assured.

The operation allowed the relocation of 1,700 people who remained on the beaches of Benítez and El Trampolín. The National Police had to contain several rushes and concentrations during the first hours, although the operation concluded before 1:00 p.m. and the Government ruled out that any relevant altercations had occurred.

Aznar has accused the Executive of presenting “the invasion” as a success. Moncloa, however, has described this Friday's operation as satisfactory, considered the most complex simultaneous transfer of migrants organized so far in Spain. The Executive has not celebrated the massive entry in July, as the former president suggested.

The stated objective of the relocation is to remove these people from the beaches, identify them, and open the corresponding individual files. The Government maintains that the majority will be returned when the procedures required by law are completed and there are sufficient guarantees to execute the returns.

Aznar also demanded a review of the bilateral relationship with Morocco if the crisis is not resolved immediately. He again questioned the change in Spain's position on Western Sahara and assured that Sánchez is in a situation of “enormous vulnerability” vis-à-vis Rabat.

The former president also celebrated the resolution approved on Thursday by the European Parliament with 339 votes in favor, 225 against, and 16 abstentions. The text, which is political and non-binding, condemns the massive entries, speaks of “invasion” and a possible migratory instrumentalization against Spanish territorial integrity.

Calls Sánchez "traitor" but rejects the far-right Vox's path

Despite the seriousness of his accusations, Aznar has distanced himself from Vox's initiative to activate article 102 of the Constitution and promote Sánchez being tried for treason. He has also ruled out the PP presenting a motion of no confidence now, considering that a vote with no chance of success would generate more “frustration.”

“What is needed is to put a project for the future before the Spanish people,” he defended. The former president accompanied this position with new criticisms of the Minister of Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and the National Intelligence Center. In his opinion, the prestige of the CNI and the Security Forces and Corps has been damaged after their warnings were disregarded.

Aznar has maintained that between 80,000 and 100,000 people could not cross the border without the knowledge or collaboration of the Moroccan authorities. The estimates known until now place the figure between 70,000 and 80,000. The investigation opened in the Audiencia Nacional must determine how the entry occurred and if there are criminal responsibilities. So far, no judicial resolution has established Morocco's responsibility or a criminal conduct by the Spanish Government.

The former president has also called for a visit by Felipe VI to Ceuta and has accused Sánchez of preventing it. During his eight years in Moncloa, there was also no institutional visit by the monarchs to the autonomous city. Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía finally traveled to Ceuta in 2007, under the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.