Ceuta’s regional day usually passes with a quiet medal ceremony and general celebration throughout the city, but this year it is drawing rallies to town halls and city squares in more than 30 places across Spain. The gatherings directly follow the migration crisis that disrupted the city at the end of July. 

Local councils asked to support Ceuta from 8pm on September 2

The Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), which represents town halls and provincial councils nationwide, has called for gatherings outside town halls at 8pm on Wednesday September 2, Ceuta’s regional day. The invitation covers all 8,132 Spanish municipalities, though FEMP has confirmed only that several councils have agreed to take part rather than claiming universal participation.

FEMP President María José García-Pelayo said Ceuta was “in intensive care” and needed the government to act “in a proportionate way”, describing the aftermath of the crisis as the most difficult moment in the city’s recent history.

García-Pelayo has also given up her seat on the EU’s Committee of the Regions so that Ceuta’s president, Juan Vivas, can represent the city directly in Brussels, and FEMP’s next governing board meeting, on September 29, will be held in Ceuta itself.

Fuengirola and Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol are among the councils that have already confirmed events.

A separate citizen movement has spread to far more than 30 cities

Alongside the official FEMP call, a decentralised citizen campaign called Por Ceuta has organised its own concentrations for the same evening, under messages including “Toda España por Ceuta” (All of Spain for Ceuta) and “Ceuta no está sola. España está con Ceuta” (Ceuta is not alone. Spain is with Ceuta).

🇪🇸 TODA ESPAÑA POR CEUTA 🇪🇸

El próximo 2 de septiembre, Día de Ceuta, nos manifestamos en toda España.

🗓️ 2 de septiembre
🕗 20:00 h
📍 Frente a los ayuntamientos de toda España

Por Ceuta. Por nuestras fronteras. Por España.

Que se escuche en cada rincón del país: CEUTA NO… pic.twitter.com/BDRmQGQKcP

— Muy.Mona/🇪🇸💚 (@Capitana_espana) August 19, 2026

Unlike the FEMP appeal, this strand carries no formal municipal backing. It began on social media and has since spread all over Spain, including cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Málaga, Zaragoza and Bilbao, according to organisers’ own published lists. 

The overlap between the two calls means turnout in some places could combine both official and grassroot participants. An expected attendance figure has not yet been published.

“Ceuta is not for sale, Ceuta defends itself”

In Ceuta itself, the Neighbourhood Associations Federation (FPAV) has called a separate march under the slogan “Ceuta no se vende, Ceuta se defiende” (Ceuta is not for sale, Ceuta defends itself).

The march sets off at 7pm from the Patio de Armas at the Murallas Reales, the city’s fortified walls, and follows a route through the old town before ending outside the Government Delegation. Organisers have asked participants to leave political and ideological banners at home and to bring Spanish or Ceuta flags instead.

A month on, the government sets up a single command

The gatherings come a month after the crisis at the border that dominated headlines through late July and into August, as Spain shifts from emergency response to a longer-term plan for the city.

On Wednesday, the Spanish government announced a new single command structure for the crisis, led by Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres and including Vivas, the government’s Ceuta delegate and national security officials, alongside an expanded socioeconomic plan for the city worth more than €180 million.

Whether the show of support on September 2 changes anything about that response is, for now, the open question hanging over what should have been the regular annual celebration day for the city.

A group of well-meaning beachgoers recently helped a stranded dolphin back into the sea on Spain’s Costa Tropical, however several marine biologist are warning that what looks like a rescue can actually put the animal’s life at greater risk. Dolphins are extremely sensitive animals, and the stress of being surrounded, handled and moved by people can itself have serious consequences. 

A dolphin that reaches the beach is often already sick, injured, exhausted or otherwise compromised, meaning simply getting it back into the water does not necessarily save it. The warning comes after bathers on Castell de Ferro beach in Granada helped a striped dolphin return to the sea after it washed ashore on August 19. The people who intervened were trying to help. Alexander Sánchez, a marine biologist for Pelagics Conservation, based in Almerimar, says members of the public should not attempt to reintroduce stranded cetaceans themselves.

Why pushing a stranded dolphin back can be dangerous

Talking to Euro Weekly News Sánchez explains that it is unusual for a striped dolphin to come so close to shore and that the species normally travels in groups. From the footage of the Castell de Ferro incident, he says it was quite possible that the dolphin had some sort of underlying problem.

That is the crucial point for anyone who finds a dolphin on the beach. A stranded cetacean has not simply ended up on the sand because it took a wrong turn. The reason for the stranding needs to be established before anyone decides whether the animal can safely return to the water.

They are already struggling 

Sánchez says that in the majority of the cases, a stranded dolphin is either old, sick or injured. Returning it to the sea without veterinary assessment can mean that it simply becomes stranded again somewhere else, continues to suffer or drowns.

Dolphins are also highly sensitive to stress. Being surrounded by crowds, touched repeatedly, dragged across the sand or forced back into the water can place an already compromised animal under enormous physiological strain. In severe cases, that stress can contribute to its death.

Andalucía’s own marine environment service specifically warns that a live stranded cetacean should be reported to 112, with members of the public then following the instructions given by the veterinary team. The regional authority says that releasing an animal without a prior health assessment can result in its death.

A dolphin on the beach needs help, not a push

The risks are not theoretical, In July 2025, a common dolphin stranded at Roquetas de Mar in Almería up to three times. When specialists from the local stranding network assessed the adult male, it had head injuries and signs of respiratory failure. The veterinary team ultimately decided that euthanasia was the most humane option because the animal was already agonising.

Another case in Mijas, Málaga, in May this year ended with a stranded dolphin dying shortly after reaching the beach. Marine conservation teams again advised the public not to handle the animal or attempt to return it to the sea, explaining that stranded dolphins can be injured, disorientated or severely weakened.

There are occasions when a stranded dolphin can be returned to the sea, but that decision only belongs to trained professionals after the animal has been assessed. In La Línea de la Concepción, for example, specialists examined a stranded striped dolphin in 2023 and determined that its condition was apparently good. Its swimming and buoyancy were assessed before it was eventually released.

What beachgoers should do

If a dolphin or another cetacean is found stranded on a Spanish beach, the correct response is straightforward: call 112 and wait for instructions. People should not attempt to drag the animal into the water, push it offshore or surround it in an effort to help. Apart from potentially worsening its condition, unnecessary handling can interfere with the assessment needed to determine why it stranded in the first place.

Andalucía’s official guidance also points out that intervention by untrained members of the public can put people at risk. The bathers at Castell de Ferro were clearly trying to do the right thing. But for marine mammals, the most compassionate response is not always the most obvious one. If a dolphin is stranded, leave the rescue to the people trained to decide whether it can be saved. Call 112, keep your distance and follow the instructions given by the emergency team.

No one ever plans for tragedy to happy during a family holiday, but for one family on Spain’s Valencia coast it has ended in the worse possible way after two teenagers discovered their parents dead in the jacuzzi of their rented holiday home in Cullera, with the Guardia Civil now investigating the unexplained deaths.

The Irish couple, aged 50 and 45, were found by their two children on Tuesday afternoon at a property in the Cap Blanc residential development, a popular area of Cullera overlooking the Mediterranean. The teenagers, aged 14 and 15 according to reports, raised the alarm after finding their parents unresponsive.

Guardia Civil investigates unexplained deaths

The circumstances surrounding the deaths have prompted the Guardia Civil’s Homicide Judicial Police team to take over the investigation. Officers have not established how the couple died and have kept several possibilities open, including an accident. However, investigators have identified indications that have raised questions about what happened inside the property.

According to Guardia Civil sources there was some indication that “something strange” may have occurred. The initial assessment suggested the deaths might not have been natural, although authorities have stressed that this does not currently mean the couple were murdered.

Puzzling injuries raise questions

 The bodies were found in the jacuzzi at the rented property, with reports stating that both victims were naked and appeared to have puncture-type injuries. These details have not established a cause of death, and investigators are examining whether the injuries could have another explanation.

Another line of investigation concerns possible substance consumption. Sources close to the investigation have reportedly indicated that the couple showed apparent signs of having consumed drugs, raising the possibility that this could have played a role in what happened. An accidental Investigators reportedly found the water cloudy and collected samples for laboratory analysis. The results could help establish whether substances or other factors inside the jacuzzi contributed to the deaths. The property has also been inspected by specialist officers as investigators work to reconstruct the couple’s final hours.

Teenagers left without their parents

The couple’s children were left without their parents after making the discovery and have been placed under the care of local support services while relatives are contacted in Ireland. Reports state that the teenagers do not speak Spanish and have special needs.

Social workers and psychological support were brought in following the discovery, with arrangements being made for a family member to travel from Ireland to care for them. The property owner was alerted by the teenagers after they found their parents. He then contacted Spain’s emergency services, bringing police and emergency personnel to the holiday home.

Autopsies could reveal cause of death

The bodies were subsequently transferred to Valencia’s Institute of Legal Medicine for forensic examination. The autopsies are expected to be crucial in determining exactly how the couple died and whether the injuries reported on their bodies are connected to their deaths. For residents and visitors in Cap Blanc, the deaths have brought an unsettling development to one of Cullera’s busiest summer areas. The residential development is particularly popular during the holiday season, when the coastal town’s population increases dramatically.

Despite the involvement of the Homicide team, Spanish authorities have not confirmed that a criminal killing took place. The Guardia Civil is continuing to investigate all available evidence, including the condition of the jacuzzi, the results of forensic testing and the circumstances inside the property before the teenagers discovered their parents. Until those examinations are complete, investigators cannot say whether the deaths were the result of an accident, substance-related incident or deliberate act. What began as a family holiday in one of Valencia’s popular coastal resorts has therefore become the focus of a major investigation, while two teenagers face the devastating aftermath of discovering their parents dead.