The viral hillside video widely shared as footage of migrants entering Ceuta is misattributed. It was filmed at Mount Cudi in southeastern Turkey and posted on July 5, 2026 by journalist Bedri Caner during the Prophet Noah commemoration. Original uploads, timestamps and local reporting show the clip predates the late-July Ceuta surge. Spanish authorities reported roughly 72,000 arrivals to Ceuta, with about 70,000 returned and around 77 deaths reported.
Viral Hillside Video Miscaptioned as Ceuta Migrant Rush — It Shows a Turkish Pilgrimage
Screenshot of the false post captured on August 3, 2026, with a red X added by AFP
A widely shared video of hundreds of people walking across a hillside that circulated after the late-July 2026 arrivals in Ceuta is not footage of migrants entering Spain. The clip was filmed weeks earlier at a religious pilgrimage in southeastern Turkey, the original uploader and reporting by AFP confirm.
What the Video Really Shows
Investigations traced the watermark seen in the viral clip to a TikTok account belonging to Turkish journalist Bedri Caner. The exact footage was posted on TikTok and Instagram on July 5, 2026 — well before the Ceuta surge — and the captions identify the location as Mount Cudi (Cudi Mountains), a traditional site for the Prophet Noah Commemoration.
Evidence and Reporting
Both social uploads and a local news report published by Sirnak Haber 73 include the same camera angles, campsite views and landscape visible in the viral post. Caner told AFP he filmed the sequence during the annual Prophet Noah commemoration ceremony and estimated 40,000–50,000 visitors attended the event held on July 4–5, 2026.
Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (L) and the TikTok clip posted on July 5, 2026
Context: The Ceuta Influx
The footage was widely reposted shortly after an unprecedented movement of people into Spain's north African enclave of Ceuta at the end of July 2026. Spanish authorities reported roughly 72,000 arrivals in that wave and said about 70,000 had been returned; officials later reported around 77 migrants died attempting to reach the enclave. The surge triggered diplomatic friction, with some EU partners warning about Schengen implications.
Why This Matters
Misattributing footage from one country to another can inflame tensions and spread disinformation during an already sensitive humanitarian and political crisis. In this case, timestamps, original uploads and on-the-ground reporting show the clip predates the Ceuta events and depicts a religious pilgrimage in Turkey, not migrants attempting to enter Spain.
Bottom line: The viral hillside video is authentic footage from a Mount Cudi pilgrimage posted on July 5, 2026, and is unrelated to the late-July migrant arrivals in Ceuta.
AFP and other fact-checkers have debunked several other false or misleading posts tied to the Ceuta incident; consumers of social media should verify provenance and timestamps before sharing evocative clips claiming to show migration or conflict.
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