Frank wrote on Aug 4
th, 2026 at 8:12am:
For a long time, Islamist rhetoric in Morocco has painted Europe as a kind of promised land, a place where welfare never runs out, chances are everywhere and prosperity comes easily. The objective has been to weaken trust in Morocco’s institutions and steer young people towards leaving.
The same ideological current also pushes a claim that Morocco is trying to “reclaim Muslim land” via Ceuta and Melilla. In reality, no Moroccan government has expressed such a demand to the UN. A Moroccan Islamist leader has argued publicly that the country “must eventually regain control of Ceuta and Melilla”.
...and then what? As you stated, Moroccans may have this idea that Europe is an opportunity of endless welfare, and prosperity comes easily. But what are they going to do once they take over small areas, like Ceuta and Melilla? Overwhelm the system to a point where conducting business in the enclave is unfeasible. I forget the numbers. The BBC said 8000 persons entered Ceuta in the last week. And even if the Moroccans were able to stay, there is a likelihood that the Moroccans would want to use the territory to gain citizenship into Spain. But they could have tried to enter the Spanish mainland territory and ask for asylum.
The BBC has a different perspective: "As the crisis was unfolding, Moroccans launched a campaign on Twitter, with the slogans: "Ceuta and Melilla is not Spain" and "Ceuta and Melilla are Moroccan - end colonialism"."
SourceThere is not much to entertain the idea that successful regions of North Africa need to be 'returned' to third worlders. Albeit my understanding of the history about Morocco is limited to what I have read or watched in the media over the last week. I highly doubt that the Moroccans are going to set up shop, farm the land, or work entry level jobs (at least in high proportions) if the Moroccans got their way of staying.