Briefing
María Jesús Montero, deputy secretary-general of the PSOE and a member of the government, warned on 26 September 2026 in Cabra (province of Córdoba) against further escalation in the political rhetoric surrounding the migration situation in Ceuta. She described the spread of xenophobic, racist and hateful messages as alarming and voiced concern that far-right forces – notably Vox – could make political gains from this. Montero also held the Partido Popular partly responsible for creating political space, without this replacing any legal or criminal assessment.
Her remarks came amid heightened public debate following the mass border crossings at the end of July 2026, which led to an increase in hateful content on social networks. In the following weeks, public authorities and several media outlets reported a marked rise in such posts; the relevant authorities and monitoring bodies have documented and, in some cases, analysed the trend. Montero called on political figures to counter this and return to a factual, civil discourse, particularly on the protection, care and distribution of unaccompanied underage refugees.
Her criticism was directed primarily at the political rhetoric and strategic positioning which, in her view, encourage polarisation and exclusion. Concrete measures to de-escalate, improve oversight of communication on social media or provide humanitarian assistance remain the subject of political debate and administrative review. The facts presented here are based on Montero’s speech in Cabra on 26 September 2026 and reports of an increase in Hasspostings in connection with the events in Ceuta; the political assessments are Montero’s and are identified as such.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).