Is the photo of the toddler rescued in Ceuta fake ?

In the middle of the war of images and declarations after the exodus of more than 8,000 people to Ceuta, confusion has arisen concerning certain rescue operations. One of them is the story of an infant in the hands of a rescuer at sea.

The photo, which went viral on social media, was presented in Morocco as being «fake». It is claimed that the photo was taken during a rescue operation in Turkey. 

Several Moroccan accounts on social shared the same screenshot to denounce the manipulation by the Spaniards. It is however indicated in Turkish, that «a woman (kadin) fallen at sea was rescued». Likewise, the thumbnails on the screenshot do not match the photo of the Ceuta rescuer, with the orange buoy being the only common element. 

A quick search can lead to the original video cited in the screenshot, but no image of the infant can be found.

Without having done the «fact-checking» work, several Moroccan news sites have started to criticize the manipulation of the Spanish media. «The newspaper El País publishes an old photo of events that took place in Turkey and links it with what is happening at the border with Ceuta», wrote Hespress.

Originally, before it was relayed by the Spanish media, the photo was uploaded on May 18 by the Guardia civil itself, which paid tribute to the courage of its agent. The photo’s cation says that the rescuers intervened with «dozens of minors who arrived at sea with their families». In other zoomed-out photos, the baby, the buoy and the agent can be seen from another angle.

The rescuer in question testifies

Some Spanish media have gone to meet the rescuer to tell the story behind the photo that has become iconic. The man's name is Juan Francisco, a member of the Special Group of Underwater Activities of the Civil Guard (GEAS), currently stationed in Ceuta.

Presented as a hero, he says he took part in rescue operations at sea, to assist those who crossed the border bypassing the Tarajal breakwater. The baby is «barely two or three months old, wearing white and red striped pajamas, a blue cap on his head and mittens in his hand», reported NIUS Diario.

On Tele Cinco, Juan Francisco says he spotted the mother first, «barely able to stay afloat on a small buoy, with what looked like a bundle, a backpack, strapped to her back». It was while swimming towards her that he discovered that it was a baby. «It was not the only child I took from the sea», he said.

«At sea, we noticed a baby's head sticking out (…) When I took him in my arms, I didn't know if he was still alive, his neck was bending and he was cold. The only thing I have done is to get to land as quickly as possible so that the baby is not in contact with the water».

Juan Francisco, Spanish rescuer

Operations coordinated with the Red Cross

During the program «El programa de Ana Rosa» on Tele Cinco, Juan Francisco is presented as having «saved the lives of many babies in the waters of Ceuta». «The image of the agent, with the child in his arms on the water, has traveled around the world and now recalls this moving moment», indicates the TV show.

Other colleagues of Juan Francisco and agents of the Reserve and Security Group (GRS) took part in the operation to evacuate the mother of the infant as well as dozens of minors. Relatives among those rescued reportedly threw themselves into the sea or used inflatable boats that broke along the way. «Some women bore several children», explained Tele Cinco.

NIUS Diario reports for its part the words of Isabel Brasero, spokesperson and communication manager of the Red Cross. According to her, «most of those who arrived are women and children. They were exhausted and some suffered from hypothermia».