A wave of unverified social media posts and videos falsely claiming that Spain’s border with Morocco was opening triggered the largest migration surge between the two countries in years, according to Apnews reports. Within hours of the initial posts circulating across platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, thousands of young people began traveling toward the border of the Spanish territory of Ceuta in North Africa, packing buses, regional trains, and taxis.
Social Media Rumors Spark Massive Migration Surge at Ceuta Border
By the time authorities reacted, roughly 72,000 people had reached Ceuta in a matter of days. More than 80 migrants died on both sides of the border, with fatalities resulting from drownings and a deadly stampede, according to authorities. While nearly all of the surviving migrants have since returned, the incident left a severe humanitarian and political fallout.
Digital Disinformation and Online Coordination
The movement began when digital platforms flooded with content encouraging illegal crossings. In the northern Moroccan city of Larache, located about 93 miles (150 kilometers) from Ceuta, three friends named Anas Amrani, Yahya Harak, and Ismail Atik watched a video posted by an Instagram account named Haraga Ceuta that claimed the border was open. The term “haraga” refers in Moroccan dialect to young migrants who destroy their identification documents and attempt to cross illegally into Europe.
Additional coordination took place across various platforms. On Facebook groups such as Fnideq Bab Sebta, users shared screenshots from vessel-tracking platforms to identify when coast guard patrols were lighter, sought advice on using inflatable boats, and advertised wetsuits for sale. Meanwhile, TikTok videos mapped out specific swimming routes, including a roughly 3-mile (5-kilometer) swim around the border breakwater starting from the neighboring Moroccan city of Fnideq or the nearby village of Belyounech.
Seventeen-year-old Omar Danbor from Fnideq walked back exhausted along the coast after falling for the digital claims, stating I saw online that the border was open, and I decided to go.
Another migrant, Adam Assil from Casablanca, noted that online figures suggested jobs and papers awaited those who crossed, though authorities sent them back instead.
Chaos at the Breakwater and European Investigation
As massive crowds reached the shores of Ceuta, extreme chaos erupted at a narrow concrete breakwater where migrants attempted to climb onto land. According to multiple migrants interviewed, individuals rushed to scramble over the slick rocks simultaneously, pushing and climbing over one another, which contributed to the deadly stampede.
It remains unclear who operated the social media accounts or originated the claims, as several accounts were deleted shortly after the crossings occurred. The European Union’s migration commissioner expressed concern over the online disinformation.
Tens of thousands of migrants have since returned to Morocco, either after being expelled or choosing to leave due to a severe lack of shelter, food, and water in Ceuta. Migration activists noted that this episode differed from typical crossing attempts because the rapid spread of online rumors successfully coordinated thousands of people to head toward the territory simultaneously rather than in smaller, scattered groups.
