The appearance of Albares and the migratory crisis in Ceuta: between distraction and responsibility

There is a metaphor to understand Albares' appearance in Congress last week: while someone points at the moon, the fool looks at the finger. Faced with a human avalanche like the one experienced in Ceuta, the Foreign Minister focused on Elon Musk, ultra-conservative mega-influencers, Russian networks and a supposed "reactionary international" bent on dividing Spaniards and destabilizing the EU.

His thesis is that it all started with a hoax about the Supreme Court's ruling that would allow minors to enter Spain, which went viral on Moroccan and African networks, and was subsequently amplified by the far-right international. But even if this sequence is true, it still does not answer the fundamental question: how such an assault on the border could have taken place without the Moroccan authorities allowing it or, at the very least, tolerating it.

Whatever Rabat's attitude, the Government should explain why it did not heed the warning calls that the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, transmitted to them days before. And clarify if the Spanish intelligence services had indications of what could happen. The contradictory versions maintained by the head of Defense, Margarita Robles, and the head of the Interior, Grande-Marlaska, must be clarified.

Instead, Albares invites us to look at Musk. It is a well-known maneuver: moving the discussion from the facts to those who comment on them.

But the Government's responsibility does not end after the assault. It also covers the management of the crisis once it has occurred. The health dimension required resources and a rapid response. And, in parallel, quickly organize the returns of those who have entered irregularly so that the people of Ceuta recover their city.

In both areas, the Government resoundingly fails. A crisis of this magnitude cannot be managed by shifting attention to social networks. It is managed by using all means and enforcing the law.

Faced with the shortcomings of the institutional response, the citizens of Ceuta are demonstrating great serenity and responsibility, moving away from violent responses. That civic behavior deserves to be recognized.

The responsibility of the Government of Pedro Sánchez is unavoidable. Ceuta is a Spanish and European border. What happened constitutes a failure of foresight, intelligence, security and coordination.

Albares can denounce Musk, Putin and the far-right international. He is not the only minister who has done so in an attempt to reduce his responsibility. But we Spaniards need to know why the crisis was possible and why the Government's response was so deficient.