Residents in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta tore down and burned makeshift migrant shelters amid escalating tensions over a massive influx from neighboring Morocco, as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accused Russian and Israeli-linked networks of helping spread disinformation that fueled the crisis.Demonstrators carrying Spanish flags moved toward beachside migrant camps last week, destroying shelters and setting fires as police attempted to keep protesters and migrants apart, according to Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE and news agency EFE.Protesters chanted "Invasores, expulsión" — "Invaders, expulsion" — as they advanced toward the beaches where migrants have been staying, EFE reported Aug.
27.Hundreds of residents returned to the streets the following day, marching toward the Trampolín and Benítez beach areas where migrants were camped and repeating the same chant, according to EFE.The unrest follows an unprecedented surge on July 30 and 31, when more than 72,000 migrants irregularly crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, one of the European Union’s two land borders with Africa.At least 100 people died attempting the crossing, according to Ceuta authorities cited by Reuters on Aug.
31.Roughly 5,000 migrants remained in the enclave as of Monday.STATE DEPARTMENT RAISES TRAVEL WARNING FOR PART OF SPAIN AS MIGRANT SURGE SPARKS MILITARY DEPLOYMENTLaw enforcement personnel stand while smoke and flames rise as Ceuta residents destroy migrant camp by the beach, in Ceuta, Spain, August 27, 2026, in this screen grab taken from a handout video.
(FORTA/Handout via Reuters)Sánchez on Monday directly linked the mass crossing to what he described as a foreign-backed disinformation campaign.Spanish authorities have said misleading videos and posts circulating on Instagram, TikTok and other social-media platforms falsely suggested that migrants who reached Ceuta by sea would be permitted to remain in Spain.CEUTA MIGRANT SURGE EXPOSES SPAIN-MOROCCO TENSIONS AS IS...