The Spanish Prime Minister accused Russia of fueling the migration crisis in Ceuta
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that Russia and Israel may have been involved in spreading disinformation that preceded the mass influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in late July.
According to Sánchez, fake accounts on social media spread distorted information about the Spanish Supreme Court’s decision regarding the return of migrants. He noted that the circumstances of the crisis are currently under investigation, but linked the disinformation campaign to Russian and Israeli networks.
The Spanish prime minister stated that the causes of the crisis in Ceuta are still under investigation, but pointed to hoaxes and disinformation on social media following the Supreme Court’s ruling regarding an alleged ban on the return of migrants who enter the country by swimming.
Sánchez explained that the ruling “was distorted” and spread on social media through fake disinformation accounts, as well as with the help of criminal groups.
The official linked this wave of disinformation to Russia, Israel, and “a far-right international organization that has always used migration not only to attack Spain but also Europe and to sow division within it.”
“Russian and Israeli networks spread these falsehoods and attacked the Spanish government and Europeans on such a sensitive issue as illegal migration, which divides and polarizes many European societies,” the Spanish prime minister noted.
According to Sánchez, these social media posts distorted the Supreme Court’s ruling, implying that “if, for example, someone were to swim to the autonomous city of Ceuta, it would be impossible to turn them back at the border.” This, he said, is not true.
“In any case, this type of fake news was used and spread through social media. That’s what we know,” Sánchez added.
He made these remarks in an interview with the radio station Cadena SER.
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