False claims that Israel orchestrated the migrant crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta were viewed more than 100 million times on X in just 72 hours, according to a new report, with prominent figures including Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem and commentator and provocateur Candace Owens among those amplifying the conspiracy.
Researchers from the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) analyzed 173 high-impact posts from 119 influencer accounts, which generated 57.5 million views and 368,400 shares. Reposts outnumbered comments by more than seven to one, suggesting users overwhelmingly shared the allegations rather than questioning them.
“Israel, and the Western far right eager to turn migration into a weapon against Muslims,” read a post shared by Bardem, who is Spanish, on Instagram. It was one of several posts shared by the actor pointing a finger at Israel over the crisis, which saw some 60,000 migrants enter Ceuta from Morocco over two days – equivalent to roughly 70% of the enclave’s population – with at least 72 people dying in the breach.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee hit back at Bardem, accusing him of promoting a “laughable new blood libel” and likening him to both lead characters in the 1994 comedy “Dumb and Dumber.”
Former Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth also amplified the claim, asking why Israel would not “want its ally Morocco to control Ceuta as opposed to its critic Spain.”
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