The viral videos that inspired tens of thousands to swim to Spain’s Ceuta

Tens of thousands of people swam into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco. According to Al-Monitor, the movement began with a small group of youths and grew into a large crowd, encouraged by viral videos. Over 80 people died, either by drowning or being crushed in a stampede.

The migrant crisis in Ceuta sparked a heated debate among EU member states. RTE News reports that the Irish Minister for Justice, Jim O'Callaghan, convened an emergency meeting of EU interior and justice ministers to discuss the issue. Some countries, including Italy and Denmark, advocated for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen free-travel area, while others, like Spain, expressed frustration at the lack of solidarity from other EU members.

Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, was reportedly the subject of criticism from some EU members, with accusations that the country was not handling the migration crisis effectively. Ireland, which holds the EU Presidency, sought to find a middle ground, with Minister O'Callaghan emphasizing the need for EU members to stand in solidarity with Spain and protect their external borders from illegal migration.

Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, RTE News — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.