Ignacio Cembrero, prisoner of his hatred toward Morocco, forgets the meaning of numbers and facts

At every major event on the Moroccan national calendar, Ignacio Cembrero reappears like a metronome, faithful to his obsessive crusade against Morocco. On the eve of the 26th anniversary of the Throne Day, celebrating the enthronement of His Majesty King Mohammed VI in July 1999, the Spanish journalist once again distinguished himself with statements full of approximations and ulterior motives.

The latest misstep: Cembrero refers to the “25th anniversary,” making a mistake in a basic calculation. A gross error from a journalist who presents himself as an expert on Maghreb affairs. But beyond this inaccuracy, what truly stands out is bad faith, as it is part of a well-oiled strategy of systematic denigration.

Rather than acknowledging the significant advances Morocco has made under Mohammed VI’s reign, Ignacio Cembrero prefers to divert attention. In his reaction to the special issue of the Spanish media outlet Atalayar, dedicated to the Sovereign’s achievements, he chooses to mention… minors who attempted to swim to Ceuta. A provocative and out-of-context remark whose sole purpose is to tarnish a national celebration by framing it within a narrative of misery.

This stance deliberately denies the efforts made by the Kingdom to contain irregular migration flows, efforts repeatedly praised by European institutions, notably Frontex. According to the latest preliminary data from this European agency, irregular migrant entries into the European Union decreased by 31% during the first months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, a significant decline to which Morocco has greatly contributed.

But Cembrero, faithful to his one-sided logic, remains silent about the thousands of thwarted intrusion attempts thanks to the intervention of Moroccan forces, preferring to feed a narrative of failure. Objective journalism requires balanced treatment of information. Yet, Cembrero selects, trims, and steers, sacrificing facts to his personal agenda.

It is important to recall a reality that some deliberately choose to ignore: in migration matters, Morocco is a strategic partner of Europe, particularly Spain. The Kingdom plays a central role as a regional “police,” intercepting dozens of irregular crossing attempts daily, often from sub-Saharan Africa. A heavy responsibility that many European countries struggle to assume within their own borders and which deserves recognition and support.

And if we talk about responsibility, why does Cembrero never criticize Spanish authorities, sometimes unable to intercept migrants on their own coasts? Migration cooperation is based on a principle of shared responsibility, an aspect that Cembrero systematically seems to forget each time he attacks Morocco.

More serious than the date error or silence on migration data is the complete lack of impartiality in Cembrero’s approach. He systematically omits Morocco’s progress in economic development, social reform, infrastructure, diplomacy, and regional stability. This strategy of selective concealment reflects an editorial line aligned with hostile narratives toward the Kingdom, widely relayed by the Algerian military junta’s media.

By relentlessly attacking Morocco on every occasion, Ignacio Cembrero traps himself in the role of a polemicist rather than a journalist. In his determination to blacken the picture at all costs, he ends up distorting facts, ignoring statistics, and minimizing the extent of ongoing transformations in the Kingdom. Criticism is a right. But criticizing without rigor, nuance, and intellectual honesty is a betrayal of the very ethics of journalism.