Spain boosts security in Ceuta as calls appear online for another mass border rush
Spain sent more than 500 extra officers and installed a maritime barrier after social media posts urged migrants to try another mass crossing.
- On Friday, Spanish authorities in Ceuta increased security patrols following viral social media posts urging migrants to rush the border on Saturday, with soldiers and police now guarding the North African enclave.
- An RFI investigation revealed the campaign was fueled by artificial amplification, including around 10 suspicious Instagram accounts created recently to promote rumors of the border crossing.
- Although posts generated more than 20 million views, private WhatsApp groups had nearly 800 members; Spain's Guardia Civil warned on Tuesday, "The border with Spain is closed... Don't be fooled."
- Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska visited Ceuta on Thursday, confirming over 500 additional police officers remain deployed and pledging to "deploy whatever personnel are necessary to restore normality."
- Migration expert Mohamed Ali Lahlou noted that social media acts as an accelerator, not the cause, with youth unemployment around 45 percent driving broader economic frustrations underlying the movement.
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They had gathered in the hills of Fnideq to try to reach the border with the Spanish exclave. Moroccan forces used police charges and tear gas to disperse them
In recent days, social networks have once again been making calls for mass border crossings as at the end of July. Moroccan and Spanish authorities have now prevented people from crossing the border.
Migrants have once again tried to cross the border with the Spanish exclave Ceuta. Prior to that, there were calls for mass migration in the social media. Arrests have taken place.
Spain said it has reinforced its police and military presence in the North African enclave of Ceuta, amid messages on social media urging migrants to attempt another mass border breach, two weeks after tens of thousands surged into the city.
After the mass riot at the end of July, the authorities feared a repetition. Spain and Morocco had significantly strengthened their security forces in advance.
The Spanish and Moroccan Governments had assured them that they had taken measures to prevent any illegal arrival of migrants in Ceuta on Saturday.
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