Signs Russia, Israel spread disinformation over Ceuta migrant crisis, says Spanish PM

MADRID – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Aug 31 there were signs Russia and Israel had spread the disinformation over Spain’s migration policy that triggered the rush of migrants into Ceuta in July, but no evidence of Moroccan involvement.

Over 72,000 migrants irregularly crossed from Morocco into the tiny Spanish territory between July 30 and 31 in an unprecedented surge at one of the European Union’s only two land borders with Africa, prompting alarm across the bloc. At least 100 people died in the attempt, according to Ceuta’s local authorities.

Spanish opposition parties and some human rights groups have accused Rabat of deliberately allowing the mass crossing, an accusation Morocco has denied.

“When people talk and speculate about the participation of Moroccan authorities, I deny this outright,” Sanchez told radio station SER.

Videos on Instagram, TikTok and other social media spread misleading claims that migrants reaching Ceuta by sea could remain in Spain, encouraging thousands to attempt the crossing, the Spanish authorities have said.

Sanchez said research by the EU’s diplomatic service EEAS had indicated that Russian and Israeli networks had been behind the spread of disinformation in conjunction with far-right networks.

He said it was clear that the two countries had used the crisis to criticise Madrid due to dissatisfaction with its position on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, but gave no further details on the evidence he had of their involvement.

Later on Aug 31, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in a post on social media platform X that Sanchez was “lying shamelessly” when accusing Israel of disseminating misleading information about Ceuta, casting it as an attempt to distract from domestic policy failures.

Russia’s Embassy in Spain and the EEAS did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

Rising tensions in Ceuta

Roughly 5,000 migrants, some seeking asylum, have remained in Ceuta since the border rush, triggering near-daily protests from locals against the Spanish government’s handling of the crisis and sporadic attacks against a makeshift migrant camp at El Trampolin beach, according to police reports.

The police arrested three Moroccan citizens on Aug 30 for lobbing bottles filled with corrosive liquids against an army patrol in Ceuta, news agency EFE reported, citing police sources.

No one was injured in the attack, the report added.

Sanchez also announced on Aug 31 that the Cabinet would deploy an additional €168 million (S$248 million) in emergency funds to reactivate Ceuta’s economy, a figure equivalent to 8 per cent of the enclave’s gross domestic product, on top of €180 million pledged last week for medium-term recovery efforts. REUTERS