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Ceuta surge and fallout
A mass influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta triggered a Europe-wide dispute over border controls and the speed of online mobilisation, with Reuters reporting that Spain threatened to impose restrictions on travellers from Italy unless Rome lifted border curbs introduced after the Ceuta crisis.
“Italy swiftly responded, saying it would not accept "ultimatums or impositions" from Madrid”
Reuters said Italy responded that it would not accept "ultimatums or impositions" from Madrid and would keep in place its suspension of Schengen rules for non-EU nationals arriving from Spain until at least August 15.
The BBC reported that Juan Jesús Vivas told the European Parliament that between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants remain in Ceuta after roughly 78,000 migrants from neighbouring Morocco arrived by sea in a matter of hours.
Vivas also said he had personally told Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez that it had been late and insufficient, while the BBC reported the EU Commission commended Spain's "swift response" including deploying armed forces to Ceuta and Melilla.
The BBC added that Spain's interior minister said the government allocated €25m (£21.4m; $28.8m) to assist minors in Ceuta, while El Mundo reported 4,860 migrant children registered by volunteer groups in Ceuta, double official estimates.
Disinformation and competing narratives
An analysis by 411, cited by The Guardian, found that Russia-linked accounts promoting far-right messages reached more than 500,000 people in the days following the mass influx into Ceuta, with the Guardian describing the barrage beginning on 1 August.
The Guardian reported that Saman Nazari, lead researcher at Alliance4Europe in Brussels, said: "We keep seeing this across Europe and we find it very interesting."
The Guardian also quoted 411 lead researcher Ned Mendez saying: "You could compare the process to a highly specific and organised information superhighway," as it described relay networks ready to amplify the next Mediterranean border incident.
Reuters reported that Spain's government said Italy's decision to reintroduce controls on arrivals from Spain was "unjustified, contrary to the interests of the European Union and discriminatory against the Spanish population".
In parallel, the BBC reported that the EU's Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner suggested criminal networks spreading disinformation were to blame, an assertion Sánchez agreed with.
What happens next in Europe
As the Ceuta crisis continued, the BBC said Vivas warned that Ceuta had not yet returned to normal, describing a humanitarian emergency and disturbances to public order in the territory.
“"Our people feel sad, helpless, anxious, fearful and worried"”
Vivas characterised the incident as an "unequivocal attack" and said "Our people feel sad, helpless, anxious, fearful and worried," while the BBC reported Spain's interior minister said he was working "firmly" with Morocco to avoid further "violations".
In Spain, the National Court judge María Tardón asked the Civil Guard whether she received information in the days prior that could have alerted to the mass, irregular entry of thousands of people from Morocco into Ceuta between July 30 and 31, according to Europa Press via El Pueblo de Ceuta.
El Pueblo de Ceuta reported that Tardón also sought information on whether the entry was a "concerted action" driven by "a criminal group," after a complaint by Iustitia Europa against officials and others.
Meanwhile, The Guardian reported that the 411 analysis warned that "That machinery is the real thing to worry about, more than this particular crisis," adding that relay networks were already in place for the next border incident anywhere on the Mediterranean.
