Skip to content

Immigration & BorderDeveloping

Spanish forces clear migrant camp in Ceuta before royal visit

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly right-leaning (67%).

3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Al Jazeera English reports that people in Ceuta allege they were mistreated by Spanish soldiers after authorities cleared migrant camps ahead of a royal visit. Breitbart reports that more than 350 officers from the Spanish National Police and other agencies cleared an encampment at the Guano esplanade on Sunday, about 48 hours before King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia arrive. The Washington Times reports that the royals are set to visit Ceuta amid a migration crisis, in a city where Muslims and Christians live in almost equal numbers.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Spanish authorities cleared a migrant camp in Ceuta ahead of a visit by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.

    Reported byLeft1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  2. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are due to visit Ceuta on Tuesday.

    Reported byLeft1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English
    Right
    The Washington Times
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  3. The operation reportedly involved more than 350 officers from the Spanish National Police and other agencies.

    One outletBreitbart News· Far Right

  4. Residents allege they were mistreated by Spanish soldiers during the camp clearance.

    One outletAl Jazeera English· Left

  5. The Guano esplanade camp was reportedly the last remaining camp after an earlier clearance at Trampolín beach.

    One outletBreitbart News· Far Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Who carried out the camp clearance in Ceuta.

    Al Jazeera English reports Spanish soldiers, with residents alleging mistreatment; Breitbart reports National Police and other law enforcement agencies, with more than 350 officers taking part.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Left-side coverage centers residents’ allegations of mistreatment by soldiers, while right-side coverage focuses on the clearance and royal timing, with Breitbart calling the camp illegal.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    Headline centers the clearance on migrants’ allegations of mistreatment by soldiers and places it before the royal visit.

    Ceuta migrants allege beatings as camps cleared ahead of royal visit
    Al Jazeera EnglishLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    2 outlets

    Headlines frame the camp as illegal and time the clearance to the royal visit; the Far Right outlet’s text adds invasion language, while the Washington Times headline focuses on divisions.

    Ceuta Clears Dehumanizing label“Illegal Migrant”Calls the people in the camp illegal before any legal finding is reported, presenting a contested status as settled.More neutral: MigrantDisagree with this highlight? Beachfront Camp Hours Before King Felipe Visit
    Breitbart NewsFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right4

    illegal migrant encampmentinvading migrantsmassive invasionIllegal Migrant

In the outlets’ own words

  • Dehumanizing label

    illegal migrant encampmentMore neutral: migrant encampment

    Calls the camp illegal before any legal finding is reported, presenting a contested status as settled.

    …Police and other law enforcement agencies on Sunday forcefully cleared an illegal migrant encampment in Ceuta located at the Guano esplanade.

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    invading migrantsMore neutral: migrants who arrived

    Labels the people who built the camp as invaders before the facts of their entry are established.

    …a similar operation took place earlier this month to clear the one assembled by invading migrants at the Trampolín beach, one of the areas most affected by the massive invasion…

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    massive invasionMore neutral: large-scale arrival

    Describes the arrival of migrants as an invasion, a term of conquest that adds a threat judgement the reported facts do not establish.

    …invading migrants at the Trampolín beach, one of the areas most affected by the massive invasion of the Spanish North African exclave.

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    Illegal MigrantMore neutral: Migrant

    Calls the people in the camp illegal before any legal finding is reported, presenting a contested status as settled.

    Ceuta Clears Illegal Migrant Beachfront Camp Hours Before King Felipe Visit

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

1 outlet

Leads with

  • residents’ mistreatment allegations
  • soldiers involved in the clearance
  • timing before the royal visit

Leaves out

  • more than 350 officers taking part
  • earlier clearance at Trampolín beach

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • illegal encampment cleared
  • royal visit timing
  • scale of police operation
  • migration crisis divisions

Leaves out

  • allegations that soldiers mistreated migrants

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Washington TimesRight

    Spain's royals set to visit Ceuta as migration crisis exposes divisions

    Ceuta, a sliver of land in North Africa, is an anomaly for Spain: a city where Muslims and Christians live in almost equal numbers.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    Ceuta Clears Dehumanizing label“Illegal Migrant”Calls the people in the camp illegal before any legal finding is reported, presenting a contested status as settled.More neutral: MigrantDisagree with this highlight? Beachfront Camp Hours Before King Felipe Visit

    Over 350 officials from the Spanish National Police and other law enforcement agencies on Sunday forcefully cleared an illegal migrant encampment in Ceuta located at the Guano esplanade.

    Read at Breitbart News (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    Al Jazeera English, Oct 11, 8:40 AM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    21 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 12, 5:40 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftOct 11, 8:40 AM EDT
  2. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 12, 5:40 AM EDT
  3. The Washington TimesRightOct 12, 12:21 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page