September 23 Emerges as Possible Date for New Mass Crossing Attempt Into Ceuta

Casablanca – Spanish outlets including Antena 3, RTVE, Ceuta TV, and El Cierre Digital have reported on calls circulating on social media and messaging platforms for a new alleged attempt to reach the Spanish-occupied enclave.

The reports do not confirm that a mass crossing will take place, but say September 23 has increasingly appeared in messages monitored by journalists and, according to some reports, Spanish intelligence services.

The date is notable because it coincides with Morocco’s legislative elections. Morocco is due to elect the 395 members of its House of Representatives on September 23, with the campaign scheduled to run from September 10 to 22.

Antena 3 reported on September 2 that September 23 had become a new date for a possible mobilization after an earlier call for August 15 failed to produce a mass crossing. The outlet said there was no confirmation that the new call would materialize, while reporting that some of the messages appeared to point to a mobilization smaller than the one from late July.

An investigation by Spanish fact-checking outlet Maldita.es provided more detail on how the date emerged. Allegedly, after the August 15 plan was abandoned, members of around 30 WhatsApp groups, which the outlet says it monitored, began discussing moving the attempt to September.

Read also: Morocco Informs Spain It Is Investigating July Mass Entry Into Ceuta

Members of several groups reportedly proposed September 23 specifically because it would coincide with the Moroccan elections. One message described election day as the preferred moment for an attempted crossing and urged participants to keep the plan secret. Other groups were reportedly created specifically around September 23.

RTVE also identified September 23 in its analysis of more than 12,000 messages, audio recordings, and videos exchanged in WhatsApp groups between August 4 and 13. According to VerificaRTVE, messages initially focused on August 15 before some participants began proposing later dates, including September 23.

There have also been references to September 15. Maldita.es reported that at least one WhatsApp group changed its name from “15/8” to “15/9,” suggesting that some participants were considering September 15 as a replacement date. However, the reporting does not establish September 15 as a confirmed or dominant date.

Ceuta TV, citing AS and intelligence sources, reported that the potential September 23 mobilization is expected to be smaller than the late-July attempt, while noting that the information could also be intended to pressure authorities.

For now, however, September 23 remains a date circulating in online calls rather than a confirmed future mass crossing. Spanish media have also reported that some of the messages circulating the planned mobilizations contained false or misleading information.