Spanish Soldiers Accused of Beating Migrants in Ceuta After Mass Surge Videos show Spanish soldiers beating migrants in Ceuta after up to 80,000 crossed from Morocco in late July. Madrid condemns the footage and opens an investigation. Videos have emerged showing Spanish soldiers chasing down and beating migrants in the African enclave of Ceuta after the city was overrun by as many as 80,000 migrants coming from Morocco in late July. As many as 15,000 migrants remain in the enclave, and Madrid has increased the presence of police and army officers in Ceuta in response. The army has since come under fire for allegedly using excessive force against migrants. Videos show soldiers beating migrantsOne video captured in Ceuta showed soldiers grabbing a young migrant boy and holding him down as they smashed him with batons. He was forced to wriggle free and tumble down a litter-strewn hill to get away.Further footage showed two soldiers beating a single migrant in the dead of night before walking away. Another clip showed migrants being roughed up following a raid. One man was heard pleading for help as he was shoved against a concrete wall.One clip taken in Ceuta showed a gang of soldiers grabbing a young migrant boy and holding him down as they smashed him with batons. Another clip showed two soldiers beating a single migrant in the dead of night before walking away. Another migrant was shoved to the floor by one soldier, while another hit him with a baton.Government condemns footage and opens investigationThe videos, shared by local media, have already drawn the ire of the Prime Minister's office. In a statement, an official told El Diario that the government expresses complete dismay and condemnation of these images and will, of course, open an investigation into the matter.The videos come out just days after the enclave was preparing for a potential new mass surge of migrants. Social media was rife with calls for migrants to enter the city again on Wednesday, when elections were being held in Morocco, which caused high tensions in the Spanish city.Ceuta tensions rise ahead of Moroccan electionsThousands of Ceuti people marched to the border with Morocco last Sunday protesting against the reported planned crossing, and doctors and nurses in the area are planning to strike.Police were deployed on Monday night to quell a riot at the Loma Colmenar detention centre. Several police units were called in, with footage shared last night by local media showing a riot van in place with lines of officers in head-to-toe riot gear. In front of them stood dozens of people who appeared to be migrants. The riot van sounded its alarm in an apparent warning to those gathered.Police were also called to a makeshift migrant shelter in Loma Colmenar, and many of the inhabitants were reportedly minors. Officers raided the house following neighbours' complaints.Background on the Ceuta migrant surgeCeuta is a Spanish enclave on the north coast of Africa, bordered by Morocco. The city was overwhelmed in late July when as many as 80,000 migrants crossed from Morocco. Since then, as many as 15,000 migrants remain in the enclave.Madrid responded by increasing the presence of police and army officers in Ceuta. The military deployment has now become the focus of controversy after the emergence of the videos showing soldiers beating migrants.The footage has prompted condemnation from the Prime Minister's office and calls for an investigation. The incidents add to existing tensions in Ceuta, where local residents have protested against a potential new wave of crossings and where police have been deployed to control riots at detention facilities.