Spain and Morocco agree on a joint strategy against hate speech

The Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, greets the Head of Government of Morocco, Aziz Akhannouch

The meeting, held at the Moncloa Palace, was chaired by the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and the Prime Minister of Morocco, Aziz Akhannouch. The two delegations signed several cooperation agreements on combating hate speech, the digital transition, and natural disaster prevention-among other areas-which strengthen the close bilateral cooperation.

This collaboration with Morocco is essential for Spain and the European Union. The ties between the two countries are strong, with nearly one million Moroccan residents in Spain and a growing number of temporary workers. Furthermore, nearly 14,000 Spaniards reside in the North African country, figures that underscore the importance of this strategic relationship.

"It is a pleasure to meet again, this time in Spain, and to continue collaborating on fundamental issues such as combating hate speech and promoting new employment projects. Morocco is, and has always been, one of our priority partners", the minister affirmed.

Morocco is the country of origin for the largest group of foreign workers in Spain, with more than 365,000 registered with Social Security. A fact that Saiz highlighted: "Their daily contribution is fundamental to the economic growth our country is experiencing. This contribution also allows us to address the demographic challenge by adding a young workforce, which also contributes through its taxes to sustaining our welfare state."

Extension of the Memorandum of Understanding

The Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, and the Minister for Health and Social Protection, Amine Tahraoui, at the agreement signing ceremony | Pool Moncloa / Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

Minister Saiz and Minister Tahraoui signed the extension of the Memorandum of Understanding on Social Protection and Social Security during this meeting. This document guides the exchange of technical expertise, administrative modernisation, and the systematic updating of cooperation mechanisms between the two countries in this area.

It is worth recalling that, within the framework of the Social Security Agreement with Morocco, the oldest currently in force in Spain, a Joint Commission met in Spain last April to advance the modernisation and streamlining of management processes.

One of the specific aspects on which both parties are working is to promote the digitisation of the files they manage under the Bilateral Agreement.

Combating hate speech

Furthermore, both delegations have signed a Declaration of Intent to strengthen bilateral cooperation in preventing and responding to hate speech through institutional cooperation, public awareness campaigns, and joint efforts to combat disinformation. This action responds to the proliferation of xenophobic messages on social media and the shared objective of promoting coexistence.

The document identifies disinformation and hate speech as threats that require direct cooperation between the two countries, information sharing, and joint prevention strategies. This framework will allow for further development of social awareness policies, strengthened protection for victims, and action against hate speech on social media, an area where Spain and Morocco have agreed on the need to improve early intervention mechanisms.

Hate speech extends its reach from social media into the lives of individuals in the groups it targets, posing a threat and creating a risk by violating their fundamental human rights. It also undermines social cohesion and public safety, as it contributes to the polarisation and fragmentation of society by reinforcing prejudices and negative stereotypes that create vulnerability in victims, as well as a social environment of distrust and hostility.

It should be recalled that the Ministry has a fundamental tool in this regard: the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE). In its latest report, covering October, OBERAXE recorded a total of 52,958 racist and xenophobic messages, bringing the total number of such content detected in the first ten months of 2025 to 740,144. 42% of the hateful content detected in October was removed by the platforms.

Wafira Project

In parallel, Spain and Morocco are working on a second edition of the Wafira project, led by the Spanish State Secretariat for Migration and with the support of the EU, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), and the ILO. This new edition aims to extend the success of this circular migration project to new European and African partners.

This programme, in which the Spanish Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration and the Government of Morocco participate-coordinated by the Spanish State Secretariat for Migration and the International Labour Organization (ILO)-seeks to optimise the benefits of temporary migration during the Huelva berry harvest.

In its first edition, thanks to entrepreneurship training received in Spain and subsequent support in Morocco, 209 women-84%-formalised their businesses, achieving economic independence, stability for their families, and increased wealth for their communities of origin.

Non official translation