From Pedro de Estopiñán’s protection of Melilla against the threat of extermination by a local Muslim ruler to Irish Catholic volunteer John Sherlock’s efforts to secure the city against a sinister Protestant-Muslim alliance, Melilla has long exercised its right to self-defense. This right is something that any people faced with invasion, annexation, and potential annihilation are entitled to. And just as the Spanish people of Melilla have this right, the same must be said for the people of Ceuta who share the same Spanish blood and have to endure the same threatening behaviour from their dangerous neighbours.

The actions by what might most aptly be termed Ceuta’s grupos de autodefensa comunitaria (self-defense groups) to clear El Trampolín of an illegal settlement established by members of a foreign-backed invasion force therefore represent a legitimate and appropriate exercising of this entitlement to self-defense. In an environment of near total collapse in law and order, as evidenced by the ambushing of state security forces by at least a dozen members—some reports suggest more—of the aforementioned Moroccan invasion force, Ceuta’s self-defense groups are a justifiable and necessary response in the face of Moncloa’s inaction. These groups’ efforts ought to be commended by both central government as well as the governments of Ceuta and Melilla, none of whom have done a proper job of looking after the interests of Ceuta’s and Melilla’s lawful, legitimate denizens.

Conversely, organisations masquerading as charitable NGOS, such as Luna Blanca, pose a not insignificant threat to the city of Ceuta. As such, their true nature must be properly examined. Luna Blanca and its representative Halima Ahmed have directed and dispensed resources to those involved in the illegal occupation of Spanish territory. This means that Luna Blanca and Ahmed have been actively involved in providing material support for a foreign-backed invasion.

What elevates this threat to an even higher level, and what has been consistently underreported, is the fact that the Luna Blanca organisation and Halima Ahmed have clear Islamist leanings, as evidenced by the nomenclature, materials, and the comportment of the organisation and its members. This is of particular significance given that Moroccan minister Ahmed Toufiq has in recent days appealed to the very same Islamist sentiments to encourage the annexation of Ceuta and Melilla, and consequently, the elimination of a Spanish presence in these cities. All individuals and organisations like Luna Blanca that clearly align with the interests of hostile foreign actors need to be viewed and treated as agents of such parties.

Spain’s North African cities of Ceuta and Melilla cannot be expected to function normally in the absence of proper law and order. All industries, and in particular tourism, will remain hamstrung unless safety and security can be restored and guaranteed in these cities. Accordingly, organisations which work towards this end should be actively supported by individuals as well as the state. Equally, nefarious organisations that purport to engage in social welfare but ultimately align with a project of irredentist Islamist aggression should be properly surveilled and curtailed to the fullest extent possible under the individual and collective right to self-defense.