Publicly released Spanish government documents show that intelligence agencies warned the day before the migration crisis in Ceuta about social media posts calling for mass border crossings, the BBC writes.
The revelations emerged in declassified Spanish government documents after accusations that the government failed to provide full information about the crisis that took place in Spanish territory in North Africa in late July, when tens of thousands of migrants crossed the border from Morocco. Spain’s National Intelligence Service (CNI) warned officials in both Morocco and Ceuta on the 29th of July that groups had been set up on social media calling for migrants to cross the border the following day. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has insisted that the crisis was unforeseeable, but opposition parties have accused the government of misleading Spaniards.
Sánchez had previously told lawmakers that there was no information available to predict the scale of the migration crisis in the last days of July. At least 72,000 migrants arrived illegally in Ceuta from Morocco on the 30th and the 31st of July. Most swam by the border fence in the sea and at least 100 people died en route. Although most have been returned to Morocco, around 5,000 migrants remain in Spanish territory in makeshift camps, sleeping on the streets or on the beach, sparking widespread discontent among Ceuta residents. Locals have raised concerns about security, and in some places migrant shelters have been destroyed and aid delivery blocked.
In a report on the 29th of July, the CNI warned Moroccan intelligence that it had identified WhatsApp and Facebook groups encouraging migrants to travel to Spain by land and sea. The CNI said that about 180,000 people had received such messages. One of the messages said that anyone wishing to cross the border would have a last chance on the 30th of July, as Moroccan authorities would be busy celebrating the Feast of the Throne.
The CNI also warned government officials in Ceuta.
The CNI messages are part of a package of more than 40 documents related to the migration crisis in Ceuta. The documents were declassified as pressure mounted on Sanchez and speculation spread that Morocco had played a role in helping migrants cross the border. Leaked Spanish police reports in early September pointed to a Moroccan police role in the incident.
Meanwhile, Sanchez insists there is no evidence of Moroccan involvement in orchestrating the migration crisis. Shortly before the documents were released, Sanchez said that a mass influx of migrants was not expected. Opposition politicians have said that the declassified documents paint a different picture. Ester Muñoz, a member of the conservative Popular Party, said that the information was available and that they were directly responsible for the invasion of Ceuta and the lives lost.
Jorge Buxadé, a politician from the far-right Vox party, said on social media that the documents indicate that Sanchez and “his gang of criminals” should be brought before the Supreme Court for treason and crimes against national security.
The government insists that it acted on the information available.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said he was unaware of reports that predicted the scale of the crisis. A government source said declassified documents showed that the information available before the crisis did not allow for such a large migration wave.
Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano, the Spanish government spokesman in Ceuta, said the WhatsApp messages were not an official warning or announcement and were nothing more than a simple exchange of information, referring to the messages sent to his office on the 29th of July.
Read also: Ceuta migrant wave: Inspired by social media videos
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