Brief: The Ceuta Crisis Great Replacement Conspiracy (Conspirituality podcast)

Last week, around 72,000 migrants flooded from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. What really happened? Was a local girl abducted, never to be seen again? Did the Moroccan border guards step aside (or even collaborate) in an organized operation?

Right-wing politicians and pundits were quick to crank up the moral panic machine. This is what open borders look like! They’re heading for our country next. Donald Trump said it was nothing compared to what would happen in the US if Democrats win the mid-terms.

Then came the conspiracy theories. Was Morocco retaliating against Spain for a recent deal with their enemy, Algeria? Were America and Israel behind it as punishment for Spain’s socialist prime minister being staunchly pro-Palestine and refusing to support the war in Iran?

For a few magical days, right- and left-wing conspiracy theorists spread overlapping versions of the Great Replacement Theory.

Julian dives into the diplomatic complexities, ideological contradictions, and historical twists to make sense of relations between Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara, and Israel to ask: are there any good guys or is it colonizers all the way down?
Interview:

https://www.conspirituality.net/episodes/brief-ceuta-crisis-great-replacement-theory

Donald Photoshopped Himself Back In | Paula Poundstone #shorts

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5clPjbzL_6Q

 

Everyone at NATO Is Sick of You, Donald | Paula Poundstone #shorts

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eu8jMi41vEU

Trump declares ceasefire with Iran over during angry broadside at Nato summit

President calls Iranian leadership ‘scum’, rails against alliance, repeats demand for Greenland and threatens Spain…

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/08/trump-declares-ceasefire-iran-over-broadside-nato-summit

 

Pope's historic speech to Spain's parliament demands respect for migrants, gets 7-minute ovation | PBS News

"The moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile."…

 https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/popes-historic-speech-to-spains-parliament-demands-respect-for-migrants-gets-7-minute-ovation

 

Trump threatens to withdraw troops from Italy and Spain

US president says European countries are ‘absolutely horrible’ to refuse to support operations in strait of Hormuz…

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/01/trump-threatens-withdraw-troops-italy-spain-strait-hormuz

 

Spain hits back at Trump in escalating row over euthanasia – POLITICO

García also blasted Washington for taking such interest in the death of a single Spaniard, when "thousands of uninsured people die in the United States each year and Trump supports and carries out human rights violations between Gaza and Iran."

https://www.politico.eu/article/spain-donald-trump-monica-garcia-hits-back-at-us-escalating-row-euthanasia/ 

 

 

‘Proud to be pioneers’: inside Spain’s community energy revolution

From Taradell to Galicia, cooperatives are supplying cheap, clean electricity to homes and helping tackle fuel poverty…

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/14/were-proud-to-be-pioneers-inside-spains-community-energy-revolution

 

US anti-fascism expert blocked from flying to Spain at airport | US news | The Guardian

Rutgers University professor who published book on antifa was informed at boarding gate that his trip was cancelled…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/09/anti-fascism-mark-bray-rutgers-university 

 

King Felipe pleads with Israel to ‘stop massacre and abhorrent acts’ in Gaza | Spain | The Guardian

Spain's monarch uses UN speech to attack Israel's actions in Gaza saying 'we can't keep silent or look the other way'…

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/24/king-felipe-pleads-with-israel-to-stop-massacre-and-abhorrent-acts-in-gaza 

 

How Spain put up wealth taxes - without chasing away the billionaires

What is clear is that, two years on, a predicted exodus of the rich, trumpeted in endless alarmist headlines, has not materialised. Forbes counted 26 Spanish billionaires in 2021. This year, it lists 34, with a combined net worth comfortably over $200bn... 

"Cutting public services in order to fund tax breaks, or simply balance the books, can create a doom loop…"

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/aug/16/spain-put-up-wealth-taxes-pandemic-billionaires-stayed

 

How Spain’s radically different approach to migration helped its economy soar | Spain | The Guardian

As immigration has increased, GDP has surged and unemployment has fallen to lowest level since 2008…

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/18/how-spains-radically-different-approach-to-migration-helped-its-economy-soar

Climate change: Spain breaks record temperature for April - BBC News

Many farmers are experiencing difficulties due to the ongoing lack of rain, with the government in Madrid asking the European Union for financial help. 

Some landowners say they won't plant crops due to the dry conditions, which could have implications for food supplies across Europe. 

This heatwave in Spain is not an isolated event - all across the world high temperatures in the first few months of this year have shattered records…

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65403381

Spain bans harassment of women having abortions

Activists could face up to a year in prison for trying to intimidate women into not having terminations…

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/06/spain-bans-harassment-of-women-having-abortions

No, the virus that causes COVID-19 is not a patented bioweapon - PolitiFact

Spain's highest court did not acknowledge that COVID-19 is a patented biological weapon. That is a distortion of events that happened in September, which involved Spain's ministry of health but not the supreme court…

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/nov/05/facebook-posts/no-virus-causes-covid-19-not-patented-bioweapon/

Covid-19 antibodies: Spanish study has a scary takeaway about coronavirus immunity - Vox

One of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the world isn’t anything close to a worst-case scenario. https://www.vox.com/2020/5/16/21259492/covid-antibodies-spain-serology-study-coronavirus-immunity

The News Roundup – International (Joshua Johnson, The 1A) 2019-10-25

This week, President Donald Trump doubled down on his decision to pull troops from northern Syria.

He says America is done trying to police the world. The withdrawal has left a power vacuum that Russia and Turkey are filling.

From The Economist:

Russian military police and Syrian border guards will enter areas to the east and west to ensure that the YPG vacates them as well. The Kurds will have until October 29th to withdraw to a depth of 30km along the whole border and disarm. Russian and Turkish forces will then begin patrolling the border together.

Also, protests rock Chile, Spain, Iraq and Lebanon.

And the Chinese government has reportedly drawn up a plan to replace Hong Kong’s embattled leader. However, Chinese officials pushed back on that story, calling it a rumor.

We wrap up the global news from around the world (and play some Drake).
Interview:
https://the1a.org/shows/2019-10-25/friday-news-roundup-international

Men who receive paid paternity leave want fewer children, study finds

Spain’s paternity leave was part of a set of policies to promote gender equality in the labor market and at home, a researcher said...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/20/paid-paternity-leave-study-spain-men-fewer-children

Russian Politician Who Reportedly Sent Millions to NRA Has Long History in Spain — ProPublica

As the Spanish police investigated the presence of a notorious Russian organized crime group on the resort island of Mallorca in 2012, they realized that a key figure described by some of the suspects as their "godfather" was a powerful Moscow politician: Alexander Torshin. ...
https://www.propublica.org/article/russian-politician-who-reportedly-sent-millions-to-nra-has-long-history-in-spain#139536

First Venice and Barcelona: now anti-tourism marches spread across Europe | Travel | The Guardian

With the continent sweltering under a heatwave nicknamed Lucifer, tempers have been boiling over, too, as a wave of anti-tourism protests take place in some of Europe’s most popular destinations. Yet, as “tourism-phobia” becomes a feature of the summer, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has defended the sector, calling on local authorities to do more to manage growth in a sustainable manner....
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/aug/10/anti-tourism-marches-spread-across-europe-venice-barcelona?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+USA+-+Collections+2017&utm_term=238818&subid=22113254&CMP=GT_US_collection