But there’s no question that politically, the images were devastating for Europe's establishment and invaluable for the populist right. In Germany they remembered 2015, when Angela Merkel allowed in almost 900,000 Syrian refugees, further fueling the rise of the far right. Combined with the visibly inadequate security around Ceuta and Melilla, Spain increasingly looks like Europe's weakest link on migration. Elites who ignore this will be all but guaranteeing the rise of right-wing (in some cases far right) populism in Germany, France, Britain and elsewhere in coming elections. That is why the Ceuta incident is such a profound gift to Europe's populists, and such a nightmare for Europe's governing elite.