It started on Instagram – now 80 people are dead after 72,000 surged across the border
Misinformation on social media platforms led to a massive migration surge at the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, resulting in 80 deaths. Thousands of people attempted to cross the border after viral posts falsely claimed the frontier was open.
Why it matters
This incident illustrates the dangerous real-world consequences of social media-driven misinformation on vulnerable populations and border security.
- 6.59pm . First published at 6.00pm
shares Share article It started with Instagram posts that suggested Spain ’s border with Morocco was opening up. Then came Facebook users tracking coast guard patrols and TikTok videos showing where to swim.
After many shares and comments, thousands of Moroccans became convinced that Europe was suddenly within reach.
Migrants rest outside the Temporary Centre for Immigrants (CETI) after crossing from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. AP Photo/Antonio Sempere
Within hours, young people began heading towards the border with the Spanish territory of Ceuta in North Africa . Packed buses rolled into the neighbouring Moroccan city of Fnideq. Regional trains filled up. Taxis did too.
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