Another mass border push may be in the making at Ceuta after social media users in Morocco began urging migrants to try to cross into the Spanish enclave. Spanish and Moroccan security forces have responded by deploying additional units along the frontier.
The calls began appearing on Saturday on Moroccan social platforms, according to RFI. The French radio station’s investigation found no clear sign of who started the campaign, but it did reveal traces of manipulation.
One of the most viral false messages claimed the border crossing to Spain had been reopened because of a Spanish national holiday. That post amassed millions of views before authorities intervened.
Viral hoax meets official warning
Spain’s Guardia Civil issued a statement on Tuesday in an attempt to stop the rumor from spreading. In an Instagram post, the force addressed people considering the crossing:
– The border with Spain is closed and will not be opened. New security barriers have been installed. If you cross them, you will be sent back. Do not be fooled – said the Guardia Civil.
Most of the Instagram accounts that aggressively promoted the border-opening rumour had been created only recently, some as late as July and August, the RFI report found. In spite of this, certain videos were viewed millions of times, a sign that the movement was probably amplified by fake traffic. The investigation has not established who coordinated the push.
From fake accounts to a free bus offer
The campaign eventually attracted authentic accounts, including some with more than 100,000 followers. A young Moroccan influencer went a step further and promised a free bus ride to the border with Spain to anyone who subscribed to his channels.
RFI notes that regardless of where the campaign originated, it has already produced measurable effects on the ground.
Moroccan security forces have lined roads near Ceuta with police cars, an armored vehicle and patrols. Roadblocks have been set up on the same route used by tens of thousands of migrants in late July, and officers are checking buses and taxis for would-be crossers. Police, gendarmerie, auxiliary units and plainclothes personnel have been mobilized.
Morocco has also reinforced the security perimeter around Ceuta and the neighboring enclave of Melilla, while Spain has tightened checks around both territories. The heavy deployment makes a repeat of late July’s crisis unlikely, said Mohamed Ali Lahlou, a Moroccan migration expert, in an interview with RFI.
– A viral appeal, no matter how widely it spreads, will cause a movement of several thousand people only if it falls on fertile social ground – Lahlou said.
Two weeks ago, tens of thousands of migrants rushed from Morocco into Ceuta. Madrid’s authorities said the vast majority were swiftly returned and none reached mainland Spain or other Schengen-area states.
Source: Polsat News, Photo: Polsat News
