The owner of a food store in Ceuta says it bluntly: “If we have the store open and 500 of them come in, what do we do? I’m here alone”. His voice is just one of many in a city that, according to residents, they no longer recognize.
More than 2,000 Moroccans arrived in Ceuta, and shortages can be felt on every corner. Supermarkets open empty, gas stations have no fuel, and some people cannot even buy water or milk for their children. “We can’t give the children breakfast, we can’t buy bread, milk, anything”, says a resident, his voice broken by helplessness.
Food business owners are afraid to open their premises. “If we open the store, they loot us; it’s impossible”, repeats one of them. The phrase most often heard on the streets of Ceuta is no longer an order, but a warning: “Let them go back the way they came in”.
The images are shocking; looting of food and supply stores by immigrants, mostly Moroccans, is already being reported, leaving Ceuta residents in complete uncertainty.
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