Royals arrive in Melilla to crowds

Felipe VI and Queen Letizia landed at Melilla airport at 11:44 on Wednesday, 14 October, after spending the night in Ceuta, a first in the democratic era. Thousands of residents gathered in Plaza de España, waving Spanish and Melilla flags and chanting "Yo soy español, español, español" as the couple arrived shortly after 12:00. It was their first visit to Melilla since Felipe VI came to the throne in 2014, and it followed their stop in Ceuta on Tuesday, 13 October. Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration Elma Saiz travelled with the royal couple, while Government delegate Sabrina Moh Abdelkader was loudly booed on arrival.

Keys to the city and a claim of sovereignty

At the Salón Dorado of the Assembly, Juan José Imbroda handed Felipe VI the Keys of the City and said that a new Melilla was beginning with the royal visit. He told the monarchs that the visit brought confidence, certainty and hope for the city's future, and said it was an aspiration shared by residents. Imbroda cited the city's ties to Spain, recalling the arrival of Pedro de Estopiñán on 17 September 1497, and pointed to a recent European Parliament resolution that he said reaffirmed the city's Spanish and European character. He also praised religious coexistence and referred to the Muslim, Christian and Jewish roots reflected in the city's anthem. Borrowing a line from Martin Luther King, he told the king:

“I had a dream that has come true today.”

Felipe VI on sovereignty and the EU border

At the closing act at Hotel Melilla Puerto, held before about 400 people, Felipe VI insisted on the city's status with a statement that left no room for doubt:

“Although it is obvious, it is important to reaffirm it: Melilla is Spain and Melilla is Europe.”

He described the Melilla border as a border of the Union, and said that threats to any member state's border also threaten the EU as a whole:

“Any threat to the border of a member state is, therefore, a threat to the EU as a whole.”

The king said Spain was prepared to defend its values and freedoms, and he urged people not to confuse the rule of law and human dignity with weakness. He acknowledged the unease among residents and said the royal visit had moved him. He also called on Madrid and Rabat to build and preserve good neighbourly relations based on trust, responsibility and good faith, a message delivered amid diplomatic friction between the two capitals.

School visit and the Ceuta background

In the afternoon the couple visited the Pintor Eduardo Morillas public school in a densely populated residential district. The school has more than 900 pupils, 79 teachers, twelve early-childhood groups and 27 primary groups, and has been bilingual for 25 years. Its classrooms include a project for pupils with autism spectrum disorder, which the royals saw first-hand. During the walk to the entrance, which took about an hour, the queen picked up a baby, and CHANCE reported that she removed her pink blazer because of high temperatures and accepted a fan from a local woman.

The visit came after a migration crisis in Ceuta and Melilla, when a mass entry of people from Morocco took place. One report dates the entry to 30 July and another to 31 July, and CHANCE put the number of migrants at more than 60,000. Europa Press described the visit as taking place two months after the crisis, while another article gave the interval as two and a half months.