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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Monday that a major irregular migrant influx into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta remains under investigation, while accusing Russia- and Israel-linked social media networks and far-right groups of spreading disinformation about the crisis.
“After July 30 and 31, there was a spread of rumors and disinformation, from social networks linked both to Russia and to Israel, and to an ultra-right international that always uses migration not only to attack Spain, but also to attack Europe and divide it,” Sanchez told Cadena Ser radio.
Sanchez said one month after the influx, about 5,000 irregular migrants remain in Ceuta, including around 1,200 minors.
More than 70,000 irregular migrants swam from the shores of Morocco’s Fnideq city and entered Ceuta on July 30-31, in one of the largest irregular migrant influxes Spain has faced.
Sanchez said criminal organizations and fake messages on social media drove the influx.
He added that he had not received any information suggesting that Moroccan state security forces or official authorities were involved in the crisis.
“No information has come from the state security forces or the National Intelligence Center (CNI) that would raise any suspicion of the involvement of Moroccan authorities,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez said highly professional and expert personnel work at the CNI, but noted that no information had been shared in advance conveying “the seriousness and scale” of the events that unfolded in Ceuta in July.
“Fake news was spread through social media networks linked to both Russia and Israel, and by international far-right groups that always use the issue of migration,” Sanchez said.
He said the effort was aimed not only at attacking Spain but also Europe.
Sanchez said most of the irregular migrants who crossed into Ceuta had economic rather than humanitarian motives.
He added that Spanish authorities would soon have sufficient capacity to shelter migrants currently sleeping on the streets and said cooperation with Morocco had yielded positive results.
Sanchez is scheduled to address the events in Ceuta at the General Assembly of Parliament on Sept. 3.
More than 70,000 irregular migrants swam from Morocco’s Fnideq city to Ceuta on July 30-31.
Spanish authorities said all available government resources were mobilized in response to the incident.
The Spanish government decided to deploy the armed forces to the area to ensure security after irregular migration attempts toward Ceuta increased.
Authorities said 88 irregular migrants died while trying to cross from Morocco to Spain.
Right-wing and far-right opposition parties in Spain have accused the government of responding late and inadequately to the irregular migrant crisis in Ceuta.
In Ceuta, where the right-wing People’s Party governs the autonomous city, reactions against irregular migrants have increased under the guidance of Spanish nationalist groups.
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