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Bare-chested migrants hold wrestling match on Ceuta beach weeks after mass border crossing

Footage filmed on Playa del Trampoln in Ceuta, Spain, shows dozens of adult men cheering as they form a tightly packed circle on the beach, with two shirtless men facing off in the middle

Dozens of migrants have been captured on film staging an extraordinary wrestling match on a bustling Spanish beach mere weeks following a massive border surge.

Remarkable footage reveals scores of adult men cheering as they create a densely packed circle on Playa del Trampoln in Ceuta, Spain. Two bare-chested men can be observed squaring up in the centre while a third individual appears to serve as referee and gives the signal to commence.

One participant then brings down his rival and restrains him on the ground, causing elated onlookers to surge into the middle. The gathering leaps about before lifting the triumphant wrestler above their heads, only to inadvertently let him tumble back onto the sand.

[Video grab of the moment migrants engage in a staged wrestling match]

Video grab of the moment migrants engage in a staged wrestling match(Image: Jam Press/Javier Bancalero)

The extraordinary footage was captured by photographer and educator Javier Bancalero and posted online on Sunday (16 August), as reported by NeedToKnow.

It emerges days after separate footage surfaced showing the same beach converted into a vast makeshift encampment. Video shot from a moving vehicle showed Playa del Trampoln crammed with improvised shelters and tents.

Much of the 0.57-mile stretch seemed to be blanketed with temporary structures, while dozens of predominantly adult men could be spotted wandering about and rubbish was strewn along the coastline.

[The crowd cheered as the pair threw each other around on the sand]

The crowd cheered as the pair threw each other around on the sand(Image: Jam Press/Javier Bancalero)

The images were captured by JUPOL spokesperson Laura Garca, a representative of the Spanish National Police trade union, on Wednesday (August 12). Nearly two weeks earlier, on July 30, tens of thousands of individuals in northern Morocco made their way towards Ceuta and attempted to cross its land and maritime borders.

Spanish authorities estimate that between 50,000 and 72,000 people entered, with many reportedly swimming around the Tarajal border area.

Ceuta has an official resident population of just 84,222.

[One competitor then floors his opponent and pins him to the ground, prompting jubilant spectators to rush into the centre]

One competitor then floors his opponent and pins him to the ground, prompting jubilant spectators to rush into the centre(Image: Jam Press/Javier Bancalero)

The surge seems to have been largely driven by false information circulating on social media, including claims that the border was open or that Spain could no longer immediately return people who crossed by sea.

Messages reportedly spread on TikTok, Instagram and WhatsApp, prompting large numbers of mostly young Moroccans to travel towards the border.

The rush proved fatal, with dozens of people reportedly losing their lives, including from drowning and in crushes as massive crowds tried to negotiate the breakwater and reach Ceuta.

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated on August 1 that "the situation has been almost entirely reversed".

Alongside social media misinformation, economic hardship and high youth unemployment across parts of Africa have been cited as key drivers of irregular migration to Ceuta.

The Spanish territory is located on the north African coast and forms one of the EU's only land borders with Africa, making it a major crossing point for people hoping to reach Europe.

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