Spanish soldiers have won praise online after footage showed them hugging and caring for exhausted migrants in Ceuta.
One clip showed two soldiers helping a young boy walk off a beach, before shaking his hand, roughing his hair and giving him a hug.
One X user said the images were a stark comparison to scenes witnessed in other humanitarian crises.
He claimed that certain countries were hoping for Spain to ‘turn violent’ against the migrants, adding: ‘But they have found themselves with a Spain that can teach the world a lesson. It’s a bad day to be a fascist.’
Another replied: ‘Images that make me feel proud of the Government of Spain.
‘Ensuring territorial integrity and the safety of the people of Ceuta is not at odds with empathy and respect for human rights.
‘The Government of Spain does not import Trump’s ICE. The opposition craves it.’
One added: ‘We should feel proud of our Army, which has demonstrated professionalism and commitment both in the defense of Spain and in numerous humanitarian and peacekeeping missions around the world.’
In another video, soldiers can be seen helping young boys who appear to have collapsed from exhaustion in the middle of the street.
One soldier holds one of the boys in his arms while trying to get him to drink water from a bottle.
It’s a stark contrast to the treatment some Moroccans found when returning to their home country.
After crossing back from Ceuta, footage shared online appeared to show Moroccan soldiers hitting them with batons.
In one viral clip, a Moroccan soldier appears to hurl a boulder at a migrant attempting to climb up a hill.
In a statement on Monday, Morocco blamed human traffickers, misinformation and confusion over a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling for the Ceuta crisis.
The country made the comments in its first public statement on the unprecedented border surge, which saw more than 60,000 people enter Ceuta illegally over two days and claimed at least 88 lives.
However, Rabat failed to explain why its security forces let thousands of people reach the Tarajal border crossing, where footage showed large crowds entering Ceuta with little to no intervention.
