Spain accuses "Russian and Israeli networks" of spreading disinformation

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez accused "Russian and Israeli networks" on Monday of spreading false information that he claims contributed to the mass entry of tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in late July. Sanchez made the remarks in an interview with the "Hoy por Hoy" program on the Spanish radio station Cadena SER.

When asked about the causes of the crisis that led to over 70,000 people entering Ceuta in two days, the Prime Minister stated that the investigation is ongoing. However, he asserted that one of the primary factors was the deliberate distortion of a ruling published by the Supreme Court of Spain.

"We continue to investigate the causes of this," said the Spanish Prime Minister. "The government of Spain must act based on data and certain facts. What we know so far is that a ruling of the Supreme Court was distorted."

According to him, information was spread on social networks claiming that anyone who crossed the maritime border and entered Ceuta by swimming could not be immediately returned to Morocco. Sanchez emphasized that this was a false interpretation of the ruling.

"The Supreme Court ruling was distorted and spread on social networks through lies and disinformation, as well as by criminal organizations," he said. "The messages spread on social networks distorted the ruling and created the impression that if a person entered the autonomous city of Ceuta, for example by swimming, it would be impossible to return them at the border. This is not true."

Sanchez later pointed an accusing finger at entities connected, according to him, to Israel and Russia: "There were Russian and Israeli networks that spread these lies and attacked the government of Spain and Europeans on an explosive issue like illegal immigration, which divides and radicalizes many European societies."

The Spanish Prime Minister also linked the dissemination of information to international far-right elements. According to him, behind the campaign stood an "international of the far-right, which always uses immigration not only to attack Spain but also to attack Europe and divide it."

Sanchez did not specify which Israeli networks were behind the activity, did not present public evidence during the interview, and did not explicitly claim that the governments of Israel or Russia were operating these networks.

At the same time, Sanchez ruled out the involvement of Moroccan authorities in organizing the migration wave, stating that Rabat cooperated with Madrid from the beginning of the crisis. "Morocco offered cooperation immediately," he said. "The governments of both countries were in constant contact on July 30 and 31, and on July 31, the operation of the authorities in Morocco actually began."

According to him, none of the intelligence services with which the government of Spain cooperates on a regular basis raised any doubts regarding the possibility of Moroccan authority involvement.

Sanchez added that more than 90% of the migrants who entered Ceuta on July 30 and 31 have already returned to Morocco. About 5,000 migrants remain in Ceuta without regulated status, including approximately 1,200 unaccompanied minors. The government of Spain intends to expand the reception system in the city to about 6,000 places.