It all started with Instagram posts suggesting that Spain's border with Morocco was opening up. Then came Facebook users tracking coastguard patrols and TikTok videos showing where to swim. After numerous posts and comments, thousands of Moroccans became convinced that Europe was suddenly within reach.
Within hours, young people began heading for the border with the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa. Packed buses were arriving in the neighbouring Moroccan city of Fnideq. Commuter trains filled up. So did taxis.
