REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez said there were indications that
Russia and Israel had spread disinformation about Spain’s migration policy,
prompting a mass influx of migrants into Ceuta
last month, Reuters reported
on Aug. 31.
He also stated that there was no evidence Moroccan
authorities were involved.
Spanish opposition parties and some human rights
organizations previously accused Morocco of deliberately facilitating the mass
border crossing. Morocco denied the allegations.
“When people talk and speculate about the participation of
Moroccan authorities, I deny this outright,”
the PM said.
Spanish authorities said false reports circulated on
Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms claiming that migrants who
reached Ceuta by sea would be allowed to remain in Spain. The reports prompted
thousands of people to attempt to cross the border.
Sánchez said a study by the European Union’s diplomatic
service, the European External Action Service, or EEAS, indicated that Russian
and Israeli networks had helped spread the disinformation in coordination 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,” Reuters wrote.
Sánchez also announced that the Spanish government would
provide an additional $195 million in emergency funding to help restore Ceuta’s
economy.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in a Twitter post that
Sánchez was “lying shamelessly” by accusing Israel of spreading false
information about the situation in Ceuta.
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