"There was a synchronized reaction of international forces that got involved to inflate what was happening and spread lies and fake news about Schengen," said the Spanish Foreign Minister regarding Ceuta. Who are they?
Misinformation about Spain has been widely spread on social media, and traffickers have contributed to this, the Moroccan Interior Ministry said in its first official statement on the events in Ceuta late last week.
Tens of thousands then illegally crossed the border into the autonomous Spanish city, and the army had to intervene to turn them back.
Organized invasion or spontaneous reaction?
A misinterpretation of a Spanish court ruling that makes it difficult to directly push back migrants trying to enter Spain by water also contributed to the events, Rabat said. The official position of the authorities is that the wave of tens of thousands that entered Ceuta was not organized, but arose spontaneously. Morocco says it is committed to fighting illegal migration.
According to the North African country, this is about 40,000 people, of whom 11 have died - most of them drowned. According to Spanish authorities, it is about more than 50,000 crossings and 70 deaths, some media outlets are talking about even higher numbers.
In testimonies to "El Pais" and other Spanish publications, migrants say that Moroccan authorities allowed them, even motivated them, to cross the border. At the same time, some of the content, much of it on TikTok and WhatsApp, that motivated the wave, has also spread. Videos show both calls to cross the Spanish border, which was "open", and advice on waterproof clothing and other accessories necessary for a successful crossing. Maps showing where it is easier to cross have also been circulated.
Trump associates, far-right leaders and Russian media
It is still unclear who is behind the campaign. Madrid and Rabat blame trafficking channels for helping to spread this content.
The footage from Ceuta subsequently went viral after being shared by representatives of the Trump administration, as well as far-right leaders in Europe - from Marine Le Pen in France to Nigel Farage in Britain to Alice Weidel in Germany. US Vice President J.D. Vance wrote: It is good that since Trump "was elected, our border no longer looks like this". Vance published a video from "Fox News", which falsely claims that the footage is from "Northern Spain", not North Africa. By August 3, this video had not been taken down. Ceuta is not part of the Schengen area and migrants cannot reach mainland Europe (including "Northern Spain") just like that.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry provided a list of Russian publications that had also disseminated similar content, suggesting that Europe was being overrun by migrants. This included over 1,500 publications, 300 of which were in the Spanish version of "Pravda" - a network of websites that French authorities have long confirmed is linked to the Kremlin.
The State Department in Washington issued a warning for travelers to Spain and accused the government of making "efforts to allow and facilitate mass illegal migration to Europe." After the crisis was resolved within hours, there was no rebuttal. There was no criticism of Morocco. Morocco's King Mohammed VI is considered an ally of Trump, and the country has become part of his Peace Council.
"Synchronized reaction of international forces"
"There was a very unusual activity on social media, based on an objective fact - a decision by the Supreme Court," commented Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Álvarez. "There was a synchronized reaction of international forces, who very quickly got involved to inflate what was happening, and also to spread lies and fake news about the Schengen area," he added. Albarez told Spanish public broadcaster RTVE that Spain would insist on European solidarity and that "social media must be monitored and disinformation combated, as it was the key element that triggered this unprecedented movement."
Almost all the people who crossed the border on Thursday have left Ceuta, Spanish authorities said. An inflatable barrier about 500 meters long has been deployed in the waters off Ceuta. The floating barrier, which rises to a height of about 30 to 70 centimeters depending on the waves and reaches a depth of up to one meter, is intended to prevent migrants from reaching the Spanish city by water.
The military presence has been increased, but life in the Spanish exclave is returning to normal. Cafes and restaurants have reopened, and many families with children are already on the beaches, RTVE reports. It is believed that several hundred newly arrived migrants are still in Ceuta. However, the situation is calm.
At the same time, the leader of the enclave, Juan Jesús Vivas, claims that there are still "thousands" of migrants there and that Morocco cannot be trusted, for which it blames the government in Madrid. Juan Jesús Vivas is a representative of the Popular Party of Spain, which has been in opposition for eight years.