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Rabat – Amidst rising tensions between Spain and Morocco over the handling of the migratory crisis in Ceuta, Western media are scrambling to appease the EU.
World-renowned and “respectable” British newspaper, the Guardian, has quietly edited an article originally titled “Spain accused of summary deportations as thousands sent back to Morocco.” In tone, meanwhile, the article shifted from criticism against Spain, toward a defense of the Iberian country’s “territorial integrity.”
The revised article now appears under the heading “Spain accuses Morocco of ‘show of disrespect’ for EU in migrant row.” The text has been radically changed in content, tone, as well as the narrative presented — all without any editorial disclaimers or explanation. It is important to note the shift from “Spain accused” (passive voice, implying Spain’s victimhood under accusations), to “Spain accuses Morocco” (active voice, much more convincing and, well, combative).
Using Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, Morocco World News compares the original article and the revised version.
The original article opened by highlighting that “the rapid pace at which Spain is returning migrants to Morocco could mean that migrants’ rights are being violated, campaigners have warned.” In the revised article, the reader will find that the question of legality has been relegated to the seventh paragraph, almost halfway through the article.
Read also: US, Morocco Relations Thrive as Spain Persists in Shady Media Campaign
Instead of rightly focussing on scrutiny against Spain and its colonial adventures in Northern Africa, the author chose to beef up the revised article with hate inciting rhetoric through select quotes from Spanish politicians.
One such example, not included in the original body of text, was a quote by Spain’s foreign minister, Arancha Gonzalez Laya. “It tears our hearts out to see our neighbours sending children, even babies [because] they reject a humanitarian gesture on our part,” the latest version quoted the Spanish minister saying.
The tonal and narrative shift clearly highlights how the European Union exports it’s borderline-criminal border policies. This makes it difficult for the Western press to write about such “sensitive” topics.
The original article had a narrow line of focus, namely the activists’ concerns over possible human rights abuses and violations of both Spanish and international law. The author had scattered a few select quotes in defense of Spain throughout the piece. For example, in the fourth paragraph, they wrote:
“‘This is an act of defiance,’ Pedro Sanchez told Spain’s parliament on Wednesday. ‘The lack of border control by Morocco is not a show of disrespect of Spain, but rather for the European Union.’”
On the other hand, the revised article not only does not mention the possible human rights abuses until nearly halfway through the article, it also includes additional choice words foregrounding accusations of ill-intent against Morocco.
The piece now opens with how the migratory crisis has “laid bare Morocco’s disrespect for the European Union and willingness to risk the lives of children and babies in the diplomatic row.” More significantly, though, the article now claims, with no evidence other than Spain’s official narrative, that “Morocco relaxed its border controls in retaliation for Madrid’s decision to allow the leader of the Western Sahara independence movement to be treated for Covid-19 in Spain.”
Another new addition to the Guardian’s reporting is how the migrants have become “pawns in the diplomatic row” between the two countries, a further departure from the original accusations of rights violations against Spain.
Furthermore, the revised article, now almost 300-words longer (544 words against 827 words), has been padded with combative rhetoric promoting Western Sahara separatism with very little or no context. The author suggests that “Morocco annexed the Western Sahara region.” More still, the text attempts to whitewash Spain’s image by highlighting the “humanitarian” nature of Madrid’s decision to take in the Polisario leader.
Read also: Ghali, Ceuta: Spain and Morocco Navigate Fraught but Essential Partnership
If journalism should strive to tell both sides of the story and give the reader a broader understanding of the topic at hand, why not include the fact that the Spanish authorities took in Polisario leader Brahim Ghali under false documents and without communicating the information to Morocco, a key partner?
What has long been clear to many political analysts is becoming increasingly clear to the people of the Global South. When push comes to shove, most European governments and businesses will support one another, especially when it comes to dealing with people from the “less civilized” world.
The original article was published on Wednesday, May 19, at 12:47 British Summer Time (BST); the Guardian had implemented all the aforementioned revisions by 17:51 BST, according to Wayback Machine. Damningly enough, no disclaimer of the heavy handed revisions has been included.
Morocco World News reached out to the author, Ashifa Kassam, but they did not respond.
