A video of smiling Moroccans giving thumbs-up after crossing illegally into the Spanish enclave helped spark the mass migrant influx, an expert has claimed.
Dr Myriam Cherti told the Daily Mail that the Facebook clip, shared in the days before 60,000 migrants entered Ceuta, functioned as a “showcase for your peers”.
The footage shows grinning men flashing peace signs and raising their thumbs toward the camera, while several appear to be holding temporary identification or registration papers.
As the camera pans around the group, migrants can be seen sheltering from the sun against walls, stretched out beside roads and resting beneath trees.
The post is captioned “stay safe” and includes hashtags referencing Ceuta, with the phrases “thank you Spain” and “safe arrival to you” written across the video.
Another clip surfaced on TikTok on the eve of the mass crossing, appearing to show a building in the Moroccan city of Tetouan selling swimwear, including a room filled with wetsuits and flippers.
Both videos appeared only days before more than 60,000 North African migrants poured into the seven-square-mile territory, which is home to around 84,000 Spaniards.
The crowds were filmed swimming far out from the Moroccan side before heading back toward the Spanish side and pushing through, with some migrants recording parts of the journey themselves.
A video showing a group of gleeful Moroccans raising their thumbs after illegally crossing into the Spanish enclave was the catalyst for the mass migrant invasion, according to an expert
On the eve of the mass invasion, another clip emerged on TikTok showing a building in the Moroccan city of Tetouan seemingly selling swimwear
It is a scene that has triggered international condemnation and contention, as Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez lashed out at EU partners over what he described as a lack of European solidarity.
In a letter on Saturday to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Sanchez said he had ‘serious concerns’ about the response of some European governments.
This came after Italy temporarily suspended the EU’s border-free Schengen agreement with Spain, with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni deeming the scenes ‘shocking’. This move was supported by Finland and Denmark.
The influx of people continued into Thursday night and after Spanish military units were deployed, while the hills of the border became overrun with crowds making for the city.
Officials announced on Saturday that around 48,000 of those who illegally entered Ceuta on Thursday had voluntarily returned to Morocco.
At least 67 people died while attempting the crossing this week, either by drowning or being crushed at the border fence.
It is the second major influx, following an organised arrival of around 4,000 migrants in September 2024. The movement, the expert added, was driven by hopes of a better life and job security.
Dr Cherti described videos celebrating successful illegal crossings into Ceuta being the inspiration behind more people making the journey.
The journey between Fnideq and Ceuta (translated from the Arabic) has been well-documented on social media, with animations showing the route people should take and the distance of the swim
Moroccans from different regions of the country ‘overwhelmed’ public transport this week as they flocked to Tetouan and its neighbouring town Fnideq, including from the city of Kenitra
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‘The posts started over the weekend. The first post was on Saturday, where there was a group of young Moroccans who have made it to Ceuta and were sharing the news they made it safely,’ the senior researcher at Oxford University’s Centre on Migration, Policy and Society described.
‘It was a group of 20 or 30, so it is a kind of showcase for your peers.’
Dr Cherti, who studied the impact of social media on migration, noticed ‘videos gradually progressing from one platform to another’ promoting the illegal migration after the video of the men was posted.
‘There were posts saying, “El Ghorva” is calling. Ghorva is when you become a foreigner,’ she said.
‘I told my colleagues to watch out on Wednesday and then by Thursday it was all over the news.’
The viral trend inspired Moroccans from different regions of the country to ‘overwhelm’ public transport and flock to Tetouan and its neighbouring town Fnideq, leading to the mass exodus to Ceuta.
‘The train stations were overwhelmed on Thursday, including the fast train to Tangier. They were empty at 9am but became completely full two hours later,’ Dr Cherti said.
‘There were also videos of people getting on the trains. It’s an opportunity. It’s an opening. The border is open, you know, so let’s all make it. This, among other things, led to the unfortunate events this week.’
A migrant films himself swimming with a selfie stick as music plays in the background
It is understood the flood of migrants were emboldened by a decision in the country’s Supreme Court in July, meaning migrants who arrive by sea cannot be immediately pushed back across the border without due process.
The process, described as creating a ‘pull factor’ by Spanish police unions for people to rush through, is unlike those who cross into Spain by land.
It is a route Moroccans were once able to use freely in order to trade, however the frontiers of the two Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla were shut during the pandemic. It was then permanently closed.
The impact of which resulted in the loss of jobs, Dr Cherti said, and a persistence from Moroccans to still cross the border illegally and enter the Spanish enclave.
‘Before the pandemic, people were able to trade and go there for the day and come back,’ she added. ‘These mass crossings started happening after the firm closure of borders and not allowing the local population to trade.
‘Many people I’ve interviewed have lost count of how many times they’ve tried to make it.
‘They get picked up and returned, it becomes a personal challenge. Closing the border isn’t necessarily going to stop them.’
The journey has been well-documented on social media since its closure, with animations showing the route people should take and the distance of the swim.
Meanwhile, videos have also circulated of people discouraging others to cross the border, having returned to Morocco after struggling to live in Ceuta.
However, the demographic of those wishing to flee Morocco has differed over the years, Dr Cherti said.
Having previously been dominated by 18 to 29-year-olds, it has grown to include entire families, disabled people and solo women – as seen on Thursday.
This ‘overwhelmed’ Morocco’s police officers at the border, the expert added, while ‘officers had to start rescuing people’.
Morocco has long struggled with high unemployment rates among its younger population, with 11 per cent of its population unemployed – double that in the UK.
This, coupled with ‘success stories’ of those reaching Spain or further into Europe, encourages people to attempt the illegal and dangerous crossing.
When questioned over whether events would repeat themselves again, Dr Cherti said: ‘Yeah, it could happen again. You are talking about a population who is already frustrated economically and don’t have many opportunities, they would seize that.’
