Spanish public broadcaster RTVE and press agency EFE have been forced by Moroccan authorities to leave the border town of Castillejos while covering migration.
The news team received a verbal instruction to depart immediately under the sole explanation of complying with orders, without any formal reasons provided by Moroccan officials.
Journalists from RTVE and EFE Agency were reporting on the ground to cover the social situation and population movements recorded near the border with the Spanish enclave of Ceuta when local police intervened.
Response from broadcasting leadership
José Pablo López, the president of RTVE Corporation, reacted strongly to the expulsion, describing the incident as an obstacle of enormous gravity to press freedom and the right to information.
López defended the work carried out by the reporters deployed to the border zone. He stated that the commitment of RTVE staff to provide honest, objective, on the ground coverage of migratory events could not be restricted by arbitrary decisions that prevent showing reality.
The broadcasting chief demanded full guarantees and maximum respect from Morocco so that journalists can carry out their work freely at any location surrounding the Ceuta border.
Importance of border reporting
RTVE emphasized that it will continue to defend journalism whose sole mandate is to report facts with maximum rigor, despite any obstacles its professionals encounter during field reporting.
The public network noted that the free exercise of journalism represents a fundamental democratic guarantee, especially when reporting on events that directly affect Spanish and European territory.
Blocking media access to key locations limits transparency, according to the broadcaster. RTVE added that such restrictions make it difficult for citizens to receive direct and verified information about ongoing developments.
Diplomatic steps and background
Following the expulsion, RTVE management opened contacts with diplomatic channels and other affected media organizations to clarify the circumstances of the incident and ensure full support for its displaced personnel.
RTVE is Spain's state-owned public broadcaster, while EFE Agency serves as the national wire service. Castillejos, known locally in Arabic as Fnideq, sits in northern Morocco directly adjacent to Ceuta, a Spanish autonomous city on the North African coast that forms an external border of the European Union.
The expulsion opens a new conflict over journalistic access along the Ceuta frontier, with RTVE seeking formal explanations and official guarantees to resume reporting from Moroccan territory.
