Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on August 28 accused Russia and Israel of spreading and amplifying disinformation linked to the mass migration surge into Ceuta last month, citing research by the European External Action Service (EEAS), the European Union's diplomatic arm.
Speaking on Cadena Ser radio, Sanchez said: "After August 30 and 31, rumors and disinformation spread on social media were linked to Russia and Israel, along with the international far right — actors who always use the migration issue to attack Spain, Europe and sow division."
According to Sanchez, it was "obvious" that these two countries exploited the crisis to criticize the Spanish government, given Madrid's diverging stance from Moscow and Tel Aviv over the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
At least 70,000 people crossed from Morocco into Spain's North African territory during the final days of July, triggering a Europe-wide migration alert. Most returned to Morocco within hours, but thousands stayed in Ceuta, with many left sleeping rough on the streets.
The Spanish prime minister also rejected any responsibility of Morocco's government for the sudden influx. He said: "No intelligence service that the Spanish government usually cooperates with gave any hint of the involvement of the Moroccan authorities in one form or another."
He stressed: "We must realize that this crisis can only be resolved through cooperation, not by distrusting Morocco." Sanchez pledged an additional €168 million ($195 million) in aid to Ceuta to respond to the crisis.
Sanchez said that at the height of the migrant flow, smuggling groups circulated false information online claiming that anyone who swam into Ceuta could not be deported back to Morocco — information that was not true.
The Spanish premier said the country is still investigating what happened, and called for European solidarity to deal with the migration crisis on the continent.
Ceuta covers just 18 square kilometers (7 square miles) and has a population of 80,000. Locals have held regular protests, saying the migrant wave has caused security and sanitation problems. Spain's leftist government says between 3,500 and 7,000 migrants remain in the territory, including unaccompanied children. Right-wing politicians in Ceuta, meanwhile, put the real figure at least at 10,000.
