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Morocco Blocks Migrant Attempt to Reach Ceuta and Expels Spanish Journalists

6 sources across 5 countries

Who reported this

  • ANSA Italy · Centre · Publisher cooperative
  • Corriere della Sera Italy · Centre-right · RCS MediaGroup (Cairo Communication)
  • Infobae Argentina · Centre-right · Daniel Hadad
  • La Tercera Chile · Centre-right · Copesa (Saieh family)
  • El Pais Spain · Centre-left · Grupo PRISA
  • Reuters United Kingdom · Centre · Thomson Reuters Corporation

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.

Moroccan security forces blocked hundreds of migrants, primarily from sub Saharan Africa, from reaching the Spanish exclave of Ceuta on Saturday. Authorities intercepted 111 migrants and detained 61 people for inciting illegal migration. The operation took place near the city of Fnideq, also known as Castillejos, where police used tear gas and batons to disperse the group. Some migrants were forcibly transported by bus to southern Moroccan cities such as Ouarzazate, which is over 800 kilometers from the border. The security deployment included drones, helicopters, and Royal Marina speedboats. This surge in security follows a massive crossing on July 30 and 31 that saw approximately 80,000 people enter Ceuta, resulting in an estimated 141 deaths on both sides of the border according to humanitarian organizations. Simultaneously, Moroccan authorities ordered journalists from the EFE Agency and TVE to leave Castillejos. Youssef Hajji, a representative of the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior, told the journalists they must leave immediately because he was following instructions. He warned that their professional accreditations and equipment could be withdrawn if they did not comply. While the border at Melilla remained calm, security was increased there as well. In Spain, Madrid Community President Isabel Diaz Ayuso criticized Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, calling him irresponsible and a traitor for allowing the previous mass influx of migrants.

How each side framed it

Centre-left
These outlets emphasized the forced deportation of migrants via buses and the ongoing struggle of irregular migrants remaining in Ceuta.
Centre
These outlets provided a neutral summary of the security measures and the humanitarian toll of previous crossing attempts.
Centre-right
These outlets focused heavily on the expulsion of journalists and the efficiency of the Moroccan security operation to prevent another crisis.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.