Images and videos of mass migration into Ceuta, which borders Morocco, quickly spread across social media after tens of thousands of migrants rushed into the Spanish territory last week.
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Mixed in with genuine reports about the crisis, which saw roughly 72,000 people from Morocco cross into Ceuta, was a wave of misleading visuals, including AI-generated images presented as authentic news photographs and recycled videos falsely linked to the crossings.
One example is this dramatic image purportedly showing a “soldier” raising a large rock above a migrant climbing an embankment, which was shared on YouTube, X and Reddit.
The photograph was also shared on Instagram and credited to the news agency Reuters.
However, there is no evidence that Reuters published this image. We ran it through the verification tool of artificial intelligence research company OpenAI, which found that it was generated using its own software.
Despite this, multiple users on Instagram appeared to believe the image to be real, with comments including, “Where is our love, humanity and compassion?”
While the image is not authentic, several videos filmed from different angles do appear to show an incident matching the one depicted near Fnideq, the Moroccan town adjacent to Ceuta.
News agency AFP reported there were clashes involving Moroccan security forces in the area, publishing video footage showing Moroccan officers wearing similar riot gear to that seen in the AI photo.
A separate image claiming to show dozens of shoes floating in the sea was also shared on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
The photograph, which was published by Moroccan news outlets to accompany their reporting on the issue, was also identified by OpenAI’s verification tool as having been generated using OpenAI software.
A genuine photo was published by Reuters showing a float and shoes belonging to migrants floating on the shoreline near El Tarajal beach, in Ceuta.
Another video being shared widely in the context of the Ceuta crisis is one that various social media users suggest shows that migrants have reached Andalusia, in southern Spain, by boat.
However, a reverse image search reveals that while the video does appear to show migrants arriving by boat, it has been miscaptioned. The clip is not related to the Ceuta crisis; it is at least three years old and has been reposted multiple times over the past few years, with accounts claiming each time that it is recent.
Although Ceuta is Spanish territory, travellers entering mainland Spain must pass through Schengen border controls. Those who remained in Ceuta after the surge have been described as having an unclear legal pathway and no reported means of onward travel, despite several expressing a desire to reach mainland Spain.
Spanish authorities have also said that the vast majority of those who crossed into Ceuta have now been returned to Morocco, either voluntarily or by force.