Migranten vor Ort: Spanien sieht in Ceuta-Krise Bezug zu Russland und Israel

Madrid - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has accused social media of spreading misinformation linked to Russia and Israel following a mass influx of migrants into the North African enclave of Ceuta at the end of July. In an interview with Spanish broadcaster Ser, Sánchez also blamed an "internationally right-wing extremist movement" for exploiting the migration issue to attack not only Spain but also Europe. He did not provide further details on the allegations.

Roughly 72,000 migrants crossed from Morocco to Ceuta on July 30th and 31st, according to Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska. Most returned within hours, but about 5,000 remained in the area, which is smaller than Frankfurt Airport, with 1,200 of them being minors. Local residents have increasingly reacted violently to the prolonged presence of such a large number of migrants, putting the Sanchez government under significant pressure.

Sánchez stressed in the Ser interview that the Spanish government can only act based on data and verified facts. "What we know so far is that a judgment of the Supreme Court from July 8th has been twisted in social media with misinformation, disinformation, and even by criminal organizations trading in human beings," he emphasized.

This misinformation claimed that the court had ruled that anyone swimming to Ceuta could not be deported, which is false. Morocco has cooperated "immediately and comprehensively" with the Spanish authorities in the crisis.