MOSCOW, August 4. /TASS/. A coordinated information campaign spreading claims that the border had been opened may have triggered the migration crisis in the Spanish city of Ceuta, the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) told TASS.

"It is highly likely that this was a coordinated campaign about the border being opened, coupled with the dissemination of various interpretations of changes to Spain’s migration legislation," the organization’s representatives said. The GFCN noted that almost all related content had already been removed from TikTok, as well as Facebook and Instagram (both banned in Russia and owned by Meta, designated an extremist organization in the country).

According to the GFCN, social media communities devoted to the incident in Ceuta "were generally called Hrig/Hraga Sebta or similar names." The association explained that "hraga", meaning "to burn documents or one’s past," is slang for illegally crossing a border, while "Sebta" is the Arabic name for Ceuta.

"The main trigger for this information campaign was a ruling announced by Spain’s Supreme Court on July 8. The court ruled that migrants intercepted at sea near Ceuta and Melilla could no longer be automatically returned to their country of origin. Each case must be reviewed individually in accordance with legal procedures," the GFCN said.

However, fact-checking experts said the ruling had been distorted on social media. "Posts began claiming that Spain could no longer deport anyone arriving in Ceuta by sea. At the same time, reports that the borders had been opened began to circulate. The Spanish government rejected these interpretations and explained that the court ruling had changed only the administrative procedure," the association said.

Around 60,000 migrants entered Ceuta, a Spanish city on the North African coast, according to the municipal authorities. Spain’s Interior Ministry reported 50,000 arrivals, while nearly 25,000 migrants voluntarily returned to Morocco, the El Pais newspaper said. According to the latest figures, at least 41 people died while attempting to reach the city.

Amid the migration crisis, the Spanish authorities deployed the military to help maintain security. Politico described the border crisis as the largest since 2021 and said it had created a nationwide humanitarian and social emergency. Several European countries called for consideration of suspending Spain’s membership in the Schengen Area over the migration situation.