Who's behind viral online posts fuelling a crisis over migration in Europe?
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Who → fuel → Europe
Visual investigation did not uncover clear, centralized organizer of movement
In the days leading up to the largest mass arrival of migrants to Europe in recent years, a short video posted to Instagram garnered 1.4 million views.
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video → uncover → views
It shows a young man submerged up to his neck in water before panning to land in the distance.
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It → show → distance
In the top-right corner, a map traces a sea route from Fnideq, Morocco, to Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the northern tip of Africa.
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map → trace → Africa
Responding to comments later, the account holder claimed "we've arrived."
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we → respond → comments
The video was one of many viral posts on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms that appear to have helped mobilize at least two waves of irregular migration from Morocco into Ceuta.
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that → appear → Ceuta
The latest, attempted on August 15, led to dozens of arrests.
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latest → attempt → arrests
The accounts belong to several online communities that are part of a broader ecosystem focused on migration-related culture — music, memes and imagery.
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that → belong → culture
Some tap into, and appear to be trying to profit from, the desperation of mostly African and Middle Eastern youth seeking better lives abroad.
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Some → tap → lives
There is disagreement among governments and organizations over whether a single entity was behind what happened in Ceuta or whether migration was weaponized for geopolitical aims.
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migration → be → aims
What is clear is that misinformation, amplified by multiple online communities, helped drive this summer's waves toward Ceuta.
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misinformation → amplify → Ceuta
How the crossings took shape online
CBC's visual investigations team, with assistance from Sebastian Vandermeersch of the investigative collective Bellingcat, identified multiple social media accounts, particularly on Instagram, that were active ahead of the first wave on July 30.
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that → take → July
The surge in posts was initially triggered by misinformation suggesting a Spanish court ruling meant the country would no longer turn away migrants arriving by sea.
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country → trigger → sea
Many faceless accounts subsequently began promoting the idea the crossing was possible, using similar language and images.
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crossing → begin → language
Some posts garnered millions of views.
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posts → garner → views
The consequences were significant: more than 72,000 people crossed the border on July 30, overwhelming authorities in Ceuta and setting off a political crisis in Europe.
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people → cross → Europe
The vast majority of those who crossed at the end of July have since returned to Morocco, but at least 5,000 remain in Ceuta, many living on a beach with help from charities.
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many → cross → charities
Nearly 100 people died trying to make the crossing.
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people → die → crossing
It is a stark illustration of how misinformation and manipulation can have "real-world impact" when amplified across online communities and directed at people desperate for answers, said Moustafa Ayad, executive director for Africa, the Middle East and Asia at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
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Ayad → amplify → Dialogue
His team has tracked the surge in social media activity over the past month.
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team → track → month
Some social media accounts funnelled followers toward WhatsApp chats where users planned crossings and shared information about how to reach Ceuta.
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users → funnel → Ceuta
Others offered advice directly in their feeds.
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Others → offer → feeds
One Instagram video titled "the shortest distance," viewed more than 320,000 times, shows a reinforced fence topped with barbed wire and marks the Spanish and Moroccan sides with their respective flags.
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video → title → flags
Large red and yellow arrows — the colours of the Spanish flag — point to a specific section.
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arrows → point → section
The message is clear: for someone trying to cross the fence, that is the best spot.
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that → try → fence
A BBC reporter exchanged direct messages with anonymous accounts that promised advice on entering Ceuta in exchange for money — about $750 in one case — paid up front.
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that → exchange → front
Following the July 30 crossing, Meta and TikTok agreed to fact-check posts in an effort to prevent criminal organizations from using misinformation to exploit would-be migrants for profit.
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Meta → follow → profit
But another wave of posts began building ahead of August 15, promoted as the next "window" for entering Spain by land and sea.
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wave → build → land
CBC found some of the same accounts that had helped mobilize the July 30 crossing, along with many new accounts created in the days before August 15.
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that → find → August
Several posts used variations of the message: "15/08/2026.
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posts → use → message
Everything will become clear on this day."
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Everything → become → day
Reports from Morocco indicate hundreds or more people made their way to the border on August 15.
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people → indicate → August
Thousands of police were deployed on both sides of the border.
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Thousands → deploy → border
According to Morocco's state broadcaster, authorities arrested nearly 300 migrants that Saturday.
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authorities → accord → migrants
Ahead of the weekend, the government said it was monitoring "the circulation of social media posts and messages of unknown origin" encouraging the crossing and would act against those responsible.
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it → say → those
Several Instagram accounts involved in the July 30 crossing have since been disabled.
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accounts → involve → crossing
Why the messages found an audience
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messages → find → audience
One factor that helped fuel the online surge was that growing numbers of migrants had successfully reached Ceuta even before the Spanish court ruling, according to the Mixed Migration Centre, a migration research organization headquartered in Geneva.
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numbers → help → Geneva
Researchers there found Ceuta, long a destination for migrants, had become the most popular entry point into Spain in the first quarter of this year.
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Ceuta → find → year
According to the International Organization for Migration, the Spanish government reported that more than 2,200 people entered by land by the end of May — three times as many as during the same period a year earlier.
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people → accord → period
…and 22 more, not listed.
The Aporia
