More than 60,000 people illegally crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta last week in what authorities say is the single largest border crossing of its kind in the European Union's history, with social media videos of celebrating migrants widely credited with fueling the surge.
Around 100 people are believed to have died during the crossing, including several children and two women. Some migrants said they swam for more than 10 hours before reaching shore.
Viral Celebrations Draw More Crossings
Young migrants who made it to Ceuta filmed themselves cheering in the streets and posted the footage online, where it amassed millions of views and thousands of comments. One video of teenage Moroccans and young men celebrating after the crossing has accumulated more than 217,000 views and nearly 6,000 likes. Commenters encouraged those who had not yet made the attempt.
A separate video of a boy swimming energetically in the sea to Arabic music received more than 1.4 million views. The creator of that clip, known only as Ghoufrane on TikTok, has four videos on his account all promoting travel to Ceuta, each receiving tens of thousands of views and likes.
Many of the videos were posted to accounts created only in recent weeks. Migrants showed reporters at the scene clips of people shouting "Spain is open" before jumping into the sea. Questions have been raised over whether the videos went viral by chance, were the result of a more deliberate effort, or were organised.
Political Firestorm for Sanchez
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has come under fierce criticism at home and abroad for his handling of the crisis. Locals in Ceuta jeered at him and hurled insults when he visited the city on Friday.
Adding to the backlash, Sanchez posted a video to his two million Instagram followers sharing a holiday music playlist, recorded while relaxing in an armchair. "This summer I have prepared you a list with some of the songs I'm listening to most this year," he said, naming tracks by Quevedo, Charli XCX, Melanie Garcia, Stereolab and WILLOW before signing off with "Happy Summer."
The post drew immediate condemnation. Eduardo Inda, founder and director of digital newspaper OKdiario, called Sanchez a "psychopath" who was "insulting the intelligence" of Spanish citizens. Spanish musician Javier Sanz, known online as JaviZone, questioned why no one had stopped the scheduled post from going out given the severity of the situation. Sanchez is currently holidaying at the La Mareta royal residence in Lanzarote, having flown there on an army jet.
Sanchez blamed the crisis on human smuggling mafias exploiting a recent Spanish Supreme Court decision that banned summary returns of migrants intercepted in open water while attempting to swim into Ceuta or the other Spanish North African enclave of Melilla, 240 miles east by road. He condemned what he described as an "attack" on Spain's "territorial integrity."
King Expresses Indignation
King Felipe VI weighed in publicly, expressing his "great concern and indignation" over what he called "serious" events. He said Spain needed to show "in a united, clear and decisive way to the populations of Ceuta and Melilla the support and affection of the rest of Spain." The state, he added, must ensure the safety of residents and prevent a repeat of events that had resulted in "a sad and tragic loss of dozens of lives."
European Fallout
The crisis has reverberated across Europe. Italy temporarily suspended its Schengen agreement with Spain, halting freedom of movement between the two countries. EU interior ministers are scheduled to meet urgently on Tuesday to discuss the migrant influx.
A letter signed by 22 EU member states accused Madrid of sending "unwelcome signals" through its migration decisions, including the Supreme Court ruling and an April policy that began legalising around 500,000 irregular migrants as a measure to address labour shortages. Sanchez responded by accusing fellow EU members of a "selfish, polarising and unlawful reaction."
Spanish authorities have put a floating containment barrier in place in the sea to prevent further illegal crossings into Ceuta. Thousands of migrants who made it across have since returned to Morocco after going hungry, finding shops shuttered by locals fearful of looting, and an overwhelmed temporary refugee centre. Santiago Abascal, leader of the hard-right opposition Vox party and one of Sanchez's most vocal critics, is due to visit Ceuta.
