- European fact-checkers have verified false claims tied to the Ceuta crisis since it began on 30 July.
- EFCSN is opening two emergency response grants, Microgrants and Support Grants, to help fact-checkers respond rapidly to disinformation during crisis events like this one.
- EFCSN is strengthening cooperation with Meta and TikTok under the Code of Conduct on Disinformation, so fact-checkers can flag harmful disinformation targeting people in and around Ceuta. Decisions on content remain with the platforms.
11 August 2026 – The European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN) has closely monitored the situation in Ceuta, where harmful disinformation has had a tragic impact.
European fact-checkers have been verifying false claims tied to the crisis since it began on 30 July. On that day, a message spread on Facebook in Morocco claiming Spain’s Supreme Court would not expel anyone who swam to Ceuta or Melilla. The ruling, issued a month earlier, said the opposite: it replaced one deportation route for swimmers with a standard 72-hour return procedure, not a path into Spain. The misleading message was shared 215 times that day, including by a Moroccan state broadcaster presenter with 1.3 million followers. Maldita.es uncovered the sudden surge in this investigation.
The consequences have been severe. At least 100 people have died since the crossings began, according to Ceuta’s local government. Many more were injured. This episode is a stark reminder of why our work exists. Disinformation is not an abstract or marginal problem. When it spreads unchecked, it shapes events on the ground and puts lives at risk. Fact-checkers play a critical role in identifying and countering false narratives before they cause further harm.
Supporting fact-checkers
In response, EFCSN is opening two emergency response grants: EFCSN Emergency Response Microgrants and EFCSN Emergency Response Support Grants to enable fact-checkers to respond rapidly and effectively to disinformation during crisis events across Europe such as the Ceuta crisis.
Strengthening cooperation with platforms
In line with our commitments under the Code of Conduct on Disinformation, EFCSN is enhancing its cooperation and information-sharing with relevant signatory online platforms, Meta and TikTok. Fact-checkers may share information with those platforms about potentially harmful disinformation that is targeted at people in or around Ceuta.
We want to be clear about the limits of our role: fact-checkers monitor information spaces, verify claims and provide the public with accurate information. We do not take action on content. Decisions about moderating, labelling, or removing content rest with the platforms themselves, in line with their own policies and obligations.
EFCSN will continue to support its members and monitor the situation closely.
