Spanish PM says disinformation on Ceuta crisis was spread by Russia, Israel

Spain’s prime minister accused Russia and Israel of using the Ceuta migrant crisis to attack his government, saying both countries spread or amplified disinformation about the mass crossings.

Pedro Sanchez cited research by the European Union’s foreign service, the EEAS, and said it was "evident" that Russia and Israel had used the crisis to criticize Madrid. He linked the dispute to Spain’s positions on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

More than 72,000 migrants surged into Ceuta from Morocco last month, intensifying tensions within the European Union and fueling anti-immigration rhetoric among far-right parties around the world. At least 96 people died in attempts to reach European soil.

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evident

The crisis also generated a large wave of online conspiracy content. The Antisemitism Research Center monitored 173 high-impact posts from 119 influencer accounts during the three days after more than 50,000 migrants crossed into the enclave on July 30. The posts produced 57.5 million views, 1.9 million likes and 368,400 shares, with an estimated reach of 103.1 million.

The center said the dominant explanation on X did not focus on Spanish law, Moroccan policy or European immigration. Instead, it relied on antisemitic claims portraying Israel and Jewish people as responsible for a plot to destabilize Europe. CAM CEO Sacha Roytman said, "A humanitarian emergency at Europe's border was turned into a global antisemitic campaign in under 72 hours, and X did nothing to slow it down."

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A humanitarian emergency at Europe's border was turned into a global antisemitic campaign in under 72 hours, and X did nothing to slow it down.