Spain has declared every September 2nd a mandatory National Ceuta Solidarity Day, requiring all 8,131 municipalities to hold a synchronized flag-raising ceremony at 20:00 sharp, with mayors personally hoisting the Ceuta banner while reciting a pledge of loyalty written by the Interior Ministry.
The decree, announced after an emergency cabinet meeting, transforms the spontaneous protests into a state-sanctioned ritual. Mayors who fail to raise the flag face a fine of €3,000, while those who raise it at the wrong angle must attend a remedial flag-folding seminar. In Madrid, the delegation has already installed 500 flagpoles in the Puerta del Sol, each flying a Ceuta flag the size of a bedsheet, to accommodate the expected crowds.
The initiative has sparked a wave of municipal creativity. In Tudela, the mayor has replaced the town clock with a giant Ceuta flag that unfurls every hour. In Jerez, the city council has painted the entire main square in the colors of the Ceuta coat of arms. Meanwhile, the Federation of Municipalities has issued a guidebook titled «The Proper Way to Show Solidarity,» which includes instructions on how to look solemn while holding a flag in windy conditions.
Pedro Sánchez, in a video message, praised the initiative as a way to «channel the energy of the people into a constructive display of unity.» He added that the government is also considering a national dish named after Ceuta, to be served in all school canteens every September 2nd. The opposition has countered by proposing a rival event: a 24-hour relay race where runners carry a Ceuta flag across the entire country, ending at the border fence.