Who's behind viral online posts fuelling a crisis over migration in 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.

It shows a young man submerged up to his neck in water before panning to land in the 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. Responding to comments later, the account holder claimed "we've arrived."

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. The latest, attempted on August 15, led to dozens of arrests.

The accounts belong to several online communities that are part of a broader ecosystem focused on migration-related culture — music, memes and imagery. Some tap into, and appear to be trying to profit from, the desperation of mostly African and Middle Eastern youth seeking better lives abroad.

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. What is clear is that misinformation, amplified by multiple online communities, helped drive this summer's waves toward 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.

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. Many faceless accounts subsequently began promoting the idea the crossing was possible, using similar language and images. Some posts garnered millions of 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.

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. Nearly 100 people died trying to make the 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. His team has tracked the surge in social media activity over the past month.

Some social media accounts funnelled followers toward WhatsApp chats where users planned crossings and shared information about how to reach Ceuta. Others offered advice directly in their 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. Large red and yellow arrows — the colours of the Spanish flag — point to a specific section. The message is clear: for someone trying to cross the fence, that is the best spot.

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.

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.

But another wave of posts began building ahead of August 15, promoted as the next "window" for entering Spain by land and sea. 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.

Several posts used variations of the message: "15/08/2026. Everything will become clear on this day."

Reports from Morocco indicate hundreds or more people made their way to the border on August 15.

This time, Moroccan and Spanish authorities were prepared. Thousands of police were deployed on both sides of the border. According to Morocco's state broadcaster, authorities arrested nearly 300 migrants that Saturday.

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.

Several Instagram accounts involved in the July 30 crossing have since been disabled.

Why the messages found an 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.

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. 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.

The exact reason is unclear but could include stricter patrols on other migration routes.

"It did play a role in the misinformation that was shaping up on social media, basically presenting a picture like, 'hey, you can make it,'" said Bram Frouws, director of the Mixed Migration Centre.

But Frouws cautioned against attributing the surge itself to social media.

"Social media [and misinformation] didn't shape the desire or the aspiration to migrate," he told CBC from the Netherlands. "The wish to migrate is already there."

Many of the accounts identified by CBC appeared to reflect widespread disillusionment and desperation among young people in North Africa and beyond, using aspirational images and language that valorize migration.

The response to the posts underlines the depth of that desperation.

"People are hard up," said Ayad. For young people facing high unemployment — as high as 40 per cent among youth in Morocco, for example — and a lack of political agency or respect for their rights at home, the surge of migration-related messaging is "going to read like 'now is the time.'"

Because Ceuta and Melilla, another Spanish enclave in North Africa, provide the only land borders between Africa and a European country, many of the accounts appear to originate in North African countries, including Morocco and Algeria. Other reports suggest some originate in Italy and Turkey.

Some accounts use European or EU flags and mention a number of potential European destinations without explicitly saying they are selling a way to get there.

One account, posting days before the August 15 crossing, showed an image of the Eiffel Tower with the words "Leaving has become our only concern." Another post that day showed a map tracing a swimming route from Fnideq to Ceuta. Another said "and in the end, we will meet in Europe."

That account had changed its username six times, according to its account details. Although it had existed since June 2025, all of its posts were dated August 3.

Every post used a popular Arabic hashtag mentioning Germany, Belgium, Italy, Paris and "al-Ghorba."

The Arabic word "al-Ghorba" has layered meanings encompassing life abroad, exile and alienation from loved ones.

"Immigration isn't running away," says another Instagram account's bio. "It's the search for opportunity."

Influencer-style accounts with similar themes of departure are followed by thousands of people. More than one repeatedly features photos of people in wetsuits posing on beaches or treading water, an apparent reference to the swimming route from Fnideq to Ceuta.

CBC attempted to contact several accounts referencing the July 30 and August 15 waves but received no response.