@middleeasteye: At least 88 people died after thousands attempted to cross into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta last week, with many saying they believed Spain would not deport them and that they could continue to mainland Europe. On Thursday's episode of MEE Live, Mathilda Mallinson explains that those beliefs were fuelled by years of false claims that Spain's borders were effectively open. This narrative was promoted by far-right politicians across Europe and exploited by criminal smuggling networks. Almost everyone who crossed was returned to Morocco, and no one was confirmed to have reached mainland Europe. Mallinson argues that many of the same politicians later pointed to the crossing as evidence of a migration crisis requiring harsher border policies, even though the disinformation itself had helped encourage the journey. "Children drowned in its name, while the European mainland remained unscathed."

Middle East Eye

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Friday 07 August 2026 08:00:00 GMT