Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez faced a tricky parliamentary session today, defending his government's handling of last month's migration crisis in Ceuta. His appearance came after tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest Spain's migration policy, following a leaked police report that contradicted the government's diplomatic line.

Sánchez insisted that "no one has provided the government with evidence" that Morocco orchestrated the crisis, even as he acknowledged a 10-hour breakdown in border control at the peak. He described Morocco's cooperation before and after as excellent, preventing thousands of further crossings, but remained coy on whether that breakdown was an "inability to act or a failure to act."

He also pushed back on claims that his government was warned, saying reports from bodies including Frontex were "general routine reports" with "weak and conditional language." He offered to publish the documents, presumably so everyone can judge for themselves how vague they really were.

On the role of social media, Sánchez pointed fingers at Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for spreading misinformation, with posts on WhatsApp, Telegram, and Discord providing maps and routes for crossing. But he said intelligence shows "no significant role" for state actors like Morocco, Russia, or Israel, instead blaming "criminal networks of smugglers." He did, however, note that some posts seemed aimed at "worsening the problem and eroding trust in Spanish and European institutions," including accounts linked to Russia and international far-right.

Sánchez paid tribute to the people of Ceuta, reaffirmed Spain's sovereignty over the territory, and described the crisis as "far more complex and multifaceted" than simple slogans. He recounted how viral posts on 30 July led to a surge, and how border agents couldn't intervene at the Tarajal breakwater without risking drownings. Some 141 people are believed to have died.

He hailed the return of migrants as "one of the fastest return processes ever carried out in recent European history," though about 5,000 migrants remain in Ceuta, including minors, contributing to a continuing humanitarian crisis.

Throughout his statement, Sánchez couldn't resist taking shots at political rivals, some media, and unnamed European countries - clearly Italy and Denmark - for lacking solidarity. He noted that the principle of solidarity should apply to Ceuta as much as to Greenland and Lampedusa, which is a nice way of saying, 'We remember when you needed help.'