William Watson: Who isn’t ‘far-right’ about mass beach invasions?

Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.HomeFP CommentWilliam Watson: Who isn’t 'far-right' about mass beach invasions?Pity poor, desperate immigrants, yes, but immigration needs to be controlled. If rich countries let everyone in, everyone will show upLast updated 27 minutes ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Members of the Spanish Army's 'Regulares' infantry forces speak with a group of migrants near the border post of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on August 2, 2026. Photo by Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty ImagesHow are we supposed to feel about the storming of Spanish beaches by 50,000 swim-suited young Moroccans, apparently all male (though in fairness we don’t actually know how they identify), who took advantage of lax or maybe even co-operative Moroccan security to swim around sea barriers and make a break for Europe, sprinting out of the surf and up the beach as if in an episode of Baywatch Gone Bonkers?THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountFirst, who knew socialist Spain still had property in Africa? And therefore a land border with Morocco and a seaborne extension around it? Ceuta is just across the Strait of Gibraltar from Gibraltar itself, that peculiar rocky extension of Britain, ceded in 1713, that the Spanish find so offensive. Maybe Spain should consider giving up its own overseas, or at least across-the-strait, territory and have a sea-only border with Morocco. Granted, some way would have to be found round the problem, as in Gibraltar, that the locals like current arrangements, which in Ceuta’s case have been in place more than 400 years, and presumably should have a say in what happens to them.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againBeyond that, it’s hard not to be impressed by the desperation and also audacity, hopefulness and guile of the invaders. Some of the lads may have been out for a lark, though enough died on the swim that they will have been quickly disabused of that, but most others seem to really want to get out of Morocco. And who can blame them? Youth unemployment over 20 per cent. Per capita real GDP in 2024: US$9,100 — versus US$48,400 in Spain. Not to mention a non-European view of human rights.The Daily Telegraph interviewed a 15-year-old sea-invader named Omar who had been learning English at home since the age of seven and hoped, after completing his education in Spain, where his sister lives, to maybe move on to England. “I want to study, work and build a future for myself and for my family,” he told the Telegraph.Highly-motivated English-speakers like Omar are good candidates for immigration to Britain. But the arrival on a Spanish beach of tens of thousands of other young males, some unknown number of whom don’t speak English or share Omar’s positive aspirations, is not so heartwarming. In fact, it looked mainly like anarchy, which for most sensible people is a very bad look.Mixed feelings therefore seem the most reasonable reaction to the influx: sympathy for the individuals driven to such measures but also recognition that immigration can’t be a free-for-all. If rich countries opened their doors to everyone, everyone might show up.In some circles, a balanced reaction like this, though it’s the one I suspect most people will have had, is “right-wing” or even “far right.” Thus in her report on CBC’s The National, Nahlah Ayed interviewed a Spanish political scientist who views the reaction to the Ceuta episode as, in Ayed’s summary, “a victory for the far-right,” who have succeeded in using the term “invasion” to draw attention away from the humanitarian crisis. “With several elections looming,” she concludes, “defending the borders will be front and centre. Expect the hard line to stand.”This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Really? It’s a “hard line,” associated with the “far right,” to think that thousands of people at a time shouldn’t be allowed into a country uninvited, unprocessed and undocumented, swimming to the front of the line past people who have been following the rules? If that’s the case, lots of reasonably open and tolerant people will be discovering they’re “hard-line” and “far-right,” and expect the “far right” to do very well in many of these upcoming European elections.Regret that national borders exist is, if you’ll forgive the reductionist political shorthand, a pretty far-left syndrome — though people who share such regret seem unaware of just how far out they are on the spectrum. (Do fish know they swim in water?)It’s true that ICE has given immigration and customs enforcement a very bad name. On the other hand, think what you will about Donald Trump’s attempts to round up and deport illegal immigrants within the U.S., his successful closing of the border with Mexico — more or less overnight — is likely to strike most Americans as a good thing after several years of apparent anarchy at the border.Trump always says he favours legal immigration but a country that doesn’t control its borders isn’t a real country. Maybe he does favour legal immigration, maybe he doesn’t. He lies about many things, maybe he’s lying about this. But people who genuinely do favour legal, controlled immigration strike me as, not “far-right” or even “right-wing,” but actually pretty centrist. Political parties that don’t recognize that better watch out.Correction and apologies: The All-Ireland championship County Mayo won and Mark Carney sent congratulations about was in Gaelic football, not soccer, as incorrectly reported here July 30. The two are quite different, Irish friends have been telling me.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.