In a programme broadcast by SIC Notícias on 4 August 2026, José Moreno, a researcher at MediaLab and IBERIFIER, and Paulo Baldaia, a journalist and SIC commentator, analysed the role of social media and disinformation in migration movements and in the mobilisation of thousands of young people who attempted to enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
“Social media can trigger large-scale movements of people, such as the movement of migrants in Ceuta,” José Moreno said during the SIC Notícias programme, highlighting the role of disinformation in mobilising thousands of young people who attempted to enter the enclave. The episode illustrates the ability of digital platforms to influence collective behaviour and also raises questions about the use of migration as an instrument of geopolitical pressure.
The wave of migration that led tens of thousands of young people to attempt to enter Ceuta was partly fuelled by the circulation of false information on social media. According to the analysis presented on the programme, a misinterpretation and manipulated version of a ruling by Spain’s Supreme Court was circulated through WhatsApp and Facebook groups, leading many young people to believe that the border was open and that, once they entered Spanish territory, they would be entitled to documentation.
José Moreno specifically highlighted the role of social media in spreading this information, arguing that the speed and scale at which digital content circulates can turn a false message into a catalyst for collective mobilisation. In his analysis, the Ceuta case demonstrates how a narrative disseminated through digital platforms can have tangible consequences and trigger large-scale movements of people.
The researcher also addressed the way images of Ceuta were used in political and media debate. According to Moreno, the episode was ultimately exploited to fuel alarmist narratives about immigration, particularly rhetoric portraying migratory movements as a threat or an “invasion”.
Paulo Baldaia drew attention to the geopolitical dimension of the episode and to the relationship between migratory movements and tensions between Morocco and Spain. In the same analysis, the journalist highlighted the political impact of these narratives and the way immigration has come to occupy a central position in the confrontation between different political forces across Europe.
The two commentators also placed the episode within a broader phenomenon, recalling situations at other European borders where migration has likewise become intertwined with political and geopolitical disputes.
