How Online Disinformation Fuelled Ceuta Migrant Surge
- An unprecedented 72,000 migrants poured into Ceuta from Morocco starting July 30, mostly by swimming around barriers in the Mediterranean Sea. Spain constructed a 1,600 ft floating sea barrier on August 1st to deter future crossings.
- Rumors that "the Ceuta border is open" spread via social media, fueled by a misinterpretation of a July Supreme Court ruling that actually applied only to migrants intercepted on the high seas. An online campaign generated 11 million views from early July.
- Technology firm Golden Owl concluded "with a high degree of confidence" that the migrant rush "was a deliberately organised operation." Spanish authorities recovered 78 bodies of migrants who drowned, while Morocco reported 11 deaths on its side.
- Ceuta's migrant accommodation center, limited to 500 beds, quickly exceeded capacity as residents closed businesses. Lawyers Antonio Benitez Ostos and Antonio Jesus Perez stated the floating barriers could "legally enable" border returns if deemed containment elements.
- Social media expert Marcelino Madrigal warned "this isn't over," citing fresh online posts calling for mass arrivals in August. U.S. President Donald Trump described the situation as a "catastrophe" reflecting "weak law" and "bad management" in Spain.
74 Articles
74 Articles
NRC reconstructs what happened last week in the exclave of Ceuta based on on-the-ground conversations with eyewitnesses and analysis of social media posts.
Ceuta faces an unprecedented migration crisis: 'Muslims here are constantly required to prove they are real Spaniards'
The arrival of 72,000 people from Morocco in the Spanish enclave between July 30 and 31 exposed both the cracks and the bonds of solidarity running through this city, where Christians and Muslims have lived side by side for centuries.
Tens of thousands of people in Morocco thought that the border with the EU was open.
A false report drove tens of thousands to Ceuta. The case shows how difficult it is to distinguish error and intention on the net.
Misinformation about Ceuta is spreading on social media. Moroccan social media groups are discussing a new attempt to cross the border later in August.
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