Misattributed Video of Swimming in El Jadida
On August 31, 2026, a video surfaced online purportedly showing a Moroccan man swimming towards the Spanish exclave of Ceuta. However, investigations revealed that the footage was actually recorded over 400 kilometers away at the harbor of El Jadida, a city located along Morocco's Atlantic coast. This was during a period in late July when numerous individuals attempted to cross the border into Ceuta, with some even attempting the journey by swimming. The video, which was shared widely on social media, incorrectly claimed to depict one of these crossings.
Fact-Checking the Claims
Upon closer examination of the video, several distinctive features in the background provide clear evidence of its actual location. The presence of a recognizable historical structure and parts of a harbor facility were observed, which can be identified as the harbor gate of El Jadida. Comparisons with images of the port confirm matching contours and architectural elements. Furthermore, El Jadida is situated on the opposite side of Morocco from Ceuta, reinforcing the impossibility of the swimmer being on a path to the Spanish territory.
A reverse image search led to the social media profile of the individual swimming in the video, where additional posts showed him swimming in the same harbor, consistently featuring the surrounding elements. In a subsequent post, the swimmer clarified that the video was filmed in El Jadida, not Ceuta. In an interview with a Moroccan media outlet, he stated that he had never immigrated to Spain and regularly swims along the coast. The claims of the video being related to the recent surge of irregular crossings into Ceuta are thus unfounded, as it does not document any such event.
As reported by dpa-factchecking.com.
