Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Claim
Wild animals released by rioters in Paris, roam freely on streets.
Fact
Three-year-old videos unrelated to the ongoing riots in France.
Amid massive rioting in France over the killing of a teenager by the police, multiple videos of wild animals roaming freely on roads have gone viral on social media platforms. Those sharing such clips alleged that the rioters have released the animals from a zoo in Paris. Newschecker investigated two such videos, and found them to be old and unrelated to the ongoing violence in France.
Claim 1
A video showing three lions strolling freely on a road is being widely shared on social media platforms. Those sharing the clip alleged that rioters have released the animals from the zoo, and now they are roaming on the streets of Paris. Newschecker found that the video dates back to 2020, and has been falsely linked to the ongoing violence in France.
Such posts can be seen here, here, and here.
Also Read: 2016 Video From Filming Of Fast And Furious 8 Falsely Linked To France Violence
Fact Check/Verification
We skimmed through various social media posts carrying the viral footage, and noticed “Saint Denis” written on the top of the screen on one version of the clip. Notably, Saint-Denis is a northern suburb of Paris.
Taking a clue, we looked up “lions roam,” “Saint Denis” and “night” in French on Youtube, which led us to a video by Chaîne info Internationale, dated February 12, 2020. The description of the video read, “Lions roam in Saint Denis at night without any surveillance” (translated from French)
After comparing the keyframes of the viral footage with those of the YouTube video, we concluded them to be identical.
The video was also uploaded by Pascal Le petit frère on YouTube on February 12, 2020.
Further, we found that the footage was also shared on Facebook by @Valdoise95 on February 13, 2020. The caption of the same read, “3 lions walking in Saint Denis.Monday night filming scene. Let’s welcome these 3 new St Denis residents.” (translated from French)
Other social media posts from 2020 carrying the viral footage of lions roaming on street at night can be seen here and here.
We were not independently able to ascertain the location of the video. However, it is over three-year-old and has been falsely linked to the massive rioting in France.
Claim 2
A video allegedly showing a Zebra freed by the rioters in France, running on roads amid traffic has been shared on Twitter. Newschecker found that the video dates back to 2020, and has been falsely linked to the ongoing violence in France.
The post can be seen here.
Fact Check/Verification
A keyword search for “Zebra,” and “Paris roads” on Google led us to a report by NDTV, dated April 14, 2020. It quoted a report by Huffington Post as saying that a zebra and two horses “escaped from a circus in the town of Ormesson-sur-Marne and made its way to the neighbouring town of Champigny-sur-Marne on the outskirts of the French capital. The owner of Badin Circus, from where the zebra and the horses escaped, told the news outlet that the animals are tame and did not wander too far from the circus. “
The Huffington Post report, further, carried a similar video of a zebra recorded from the car’s dashboard.
We also found a video report by Le Parisien , dated April 13, 2020, carrying the video of the zebra running freely amid vehicular traffic on the road. It stated, “ In Val-de-Marne, in Champigny-sur-Marne and Chennevières, a zebra and two ponies were seen on April 10 frolicking next to cars…the animals escaped from a nearby circus.”
Hence, a video of 2020 has been falsely linked to the ongoing riots in France.
Also Read: Video Game Footage Shared As Clip Of Wagner Rebellion In Russia
Conclusion
We can thus conclude that old videos of wild animals roaming on roads have been falsely linked to the ongoing protest in France.
Result: False
Sources
YouTube Video By Chaîne info Internationale, Dated February 12, 2020
Facebook Post By @Valdoise95, Dated February 13, 2020
YouTube Video By Le Parisien, Dated April 13, 2020
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
