Spain's foreign minister blames social media, Elon Musk and 'conservative mega-influencers' for migration crisis in Ceuta

The foreign minister of Spain, José Manuel Albares, pointed the finger Friday in Congress at the owner of X, Elon Musk, as one of the actors who, according to his account, contributed to amplifying the migration crisis in Ceuta, along with Russia, social media and what he called "conservative mega-influencers."

Albares broadened the scope of responsibility for the crisis and accused various actors of using digital platforms to spread alleged disinformation and attempt to gain political capital from the situation.

The minister excluded Morocco from this list and emphasized that he maintains constant, almost daily contact with his Moroccan counterpart. According to Albares, this communication allowed 90% of the migrants who had entered Ceuta—allegedly—to leave the city within 24 hours.

That line of communication is now focused on "managing the return of those who still remain" in Ceuta and on "preventing a repeat of a situation similar" to that of July 30. Albares also asserted that "there has never been, there is not now and there will never be any kind of conversation" that calls into question Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla.

The minister stated that he has "formally rejected, through all diplomatic channels," the statements by Morocco's ministers of justice and Islamic affairs, who claimed the country's alleged "historical rights" over both autonomous cities.

"If there is a threat to civilization today, it stems from the attack on democracy" by those who "benefit from global power beyond any democratic control," he said.

Albares takes aim at Musk

Albares described social media as "the volatile channel through which lies have spread on a global scale and at an unprecedented speed" and characterized the phenomenon as a "cognitive war."

"The use of falsehoods on social media to mobilize people" reached "unprecedented virality among immigrant groups," the minister said.

The crisis, he asserted, was "hatched and fueled by an unprecedented viral spread of lies and hoaxes on these platforms" and was subsequently "immediately exploited by a reactionary international network that, through accounts with global reach, seeks to destabilize and fracture Europe."