Pedro Sánchez has pointed out this Monday, August 31, to Russia, Israel, and a "far-right international" when referring to the spread of hoaxes and misinformation related to the migration crisis in Ceuta. The president of the Government maintains that certain social networks contributed to spreading false messages regarding the massive arrival of migrants recorded on July 30 and 31.
During his interview on "Hoy por Hoy," from Cadena SER, Sánchez explained that the hoaxes spread through social networks "associated with both Russia and Israel and a far-right international" which, he claimed, uses migration to attack not only Spain but also Europe. Reuters also reports that the president bases his accusation against Russia and Israel on an investigation by the European External Action Service (EEAS), the diplomatic service of the European Union.
Sánchez has placed the origin of part of the misinformation in the interpretation that circulated on social networks of a ruling from the Supreme Court related to hot returns at swimming entries. The president has pointed out that criminal organizations took advantage of the hoaxes spread on digital platforms, although he indicated that the causes of what happened in Ceuta are still under investigation.
The EU had already detected channels linked to Russia
The existence of misinformation activity linked to Russia during the Ceuta crisis had been publicly pointed out by European institutions before Sánchez's statements. At the beginning of August, a spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed that channels of manipulation and foreign information interference, especially Russian, had been detected trying to amplify what happened on different platforms since July 30.
The European External Action Service was then examining the possible involvement of Russian actors in exploiting the crisis on social networks. The European Commissioner for Migration, Magnus Brunner, pointed out on August 4 that it was still early to attribute a specific role to Russia and explained that the EEAS was keeping an investigation open to determine whether, in addition to the mafias and human traffickers, Russian actors had intervened.
On the same day, the interior ministers of the European Union addressed the situation in Ceuta in a videoconference that included Spain, the Commission, and the SEAE itself. The EU Council subsequently highlighted the need to improve monitoring of social media and the response to external actors involved in manipulation and informational interference.
An independent investigation detected Russian amplification
Suspicions about Russian activity also have independent analyses. An investigation by the disinformation specialized group 411, later published by "The Guardian," concluded that accounts linked to Russia helped amplify far-right narratives after the massive influx of migrants into Ceuta.
The analysis identified, among other actors, channels connected to the Pravda network and other accounts associated with the Russian informational ecosystem. These spaces quickly spread messages about the migration crisis and contributed to projecting certain narratives beyond Spain.
The European Commission had also warned that the identified channels were attempting to amplify the situation through various platforms. The available public documentation thus supports the existence of amplification activity linked to Russia, although establishing who ordered or coordinated each action requires a different level of attribution.
Sánchez's reference to Israel
In the case of Israel, Sánchez has explicitly included it alongside Russia among the countries he links to the dissemination and amplification of disinformation. Reuters reports that the president claims to base this on an investigation by the European External Action Service.
However, the public documentation from the community institutions located so far regarding the crisis in Ceuta explicitly confirms the detection of Russian channels, but does not allow for independent verification of an equivalent attribution to Israel. The specific study by the SEAE mentioned by Sánchez does not currently appear among the public documents that would allow for examination of its methodology and conclusions.
For that reason, Israeli participation must be presented as a statement made by the president of the Government based on information attributed to the SEAE, and not as an independently accredited conclusion by publicly accessible European documentation.
The rumors surrounding the Ceuta crisis
The disinformation was present from the first moments of the crisis. EFE Verifica has documented that before the massive entry, false messages circulated on Moroccan social networks claiming that the border between Spain and Morocco was open and encouraging people to move towards Ceuta.
After the entries, photographs, videos, and false messages about what was happening in Spanish territory also began to spread. RTVE verified, for example, posts that mixed authentic images with recordings made in other places and presented them as scenes from the Ceuta crisis.
Euronews has also documented numerous misleading contents spread during those days and has warned about the circulation of unproven theories that directly attributed the organization of the arrival of migrants to Israel or the United States. These theories are different from the accusation now raised by Sánchez regarding the subsequent dissemination and amplification of disinformation.
Sánchez rules out Morocco and points to social networks
The statements about Russia and Israel are part of the explanation offered this Monday by Sánchez regarding the causes of the crisis. The president has ruled out that there is data that allows pointing to Morocco as responsible for provoking the massive arrival and has highlighted the "instant cooperation" of the Moroccan authorities to subsequently control the situation.
At the same time, he has defended the actions of the National Intelligence Center and has pointed out that, although the CNI had shared reports on the situation, no information anticipated the severity and magnitude of the events recorded at the end of July.
The Government thus keeps the investigations into the causes of the crisis open while Sánchez places the hoaxes, criminal organizations, and international amplification of contents among the factors that help explain what happened in Ceuta.