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.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
As France battles widespread unrest over the killing of a teenage boy by the police, social media platforms are rife with unverified visuals claiming to show the massive riots in the country. Newschecker investigated four such videos, and found that they have been shared in a false context.
Why Is France Witnessing Protests?
A 17-year-old boy of Algerian descent, Nahel, was allegedly shot dead by a police officer during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre last week prompting widespread protests and riots in France.
Claim 1
Rioters have reportedly set a residential building on fire in Grigny, France.
Such post can be seen here, here and here.
Also Read: France Riots- Viral Video Of Airstrikes In Paris Is CGI
Fact Check/Verification
Newschecker began by verifying the comment section of the viral post where we saw a user share a screenshot of a tweet by French publication Le Parisien, which clarified that the claim was fake.
The article attributed the clarification to the official handle of the Prefecture of Essonne, which called out the news as fake.
Hence, the viral claim that the rioters in France have set up a residential building on fire is false.
Result: False
Claim 2
A video of multiple cars engulfed in fire is going viral on social media platforms, with users claiming that the rioters in France have burned down a parking lot.
Such posts can be seen here, here and here.
Also Read: Wild Animals On Paris Streets? Old Videos Falsely Linked To Ongoing Riots In France
Fact Check/Verification
A Google lens search on the keyframes of the viral footage led us to a tweet by @JaceyKnowles, dated April 28, 2023. The account had shared the viral footage in response to a tweet by @westaustralian carrying a front page of their newspaper. The newspaper featured a similar image of a fire in a parking lot.
Taking a clue, we looked up “Australia,” “Parking Lot” and “Fire” on Google which led us to a video report by 7NEWS Australia, dated April 29, 2023. Carrying footage similar to the viral video, the report stated, “Hundreds of cars have gone up in flames after a blaze broke out at an auction yard in Perth.The sound of exploding tyres and fuel tanks could be heard for kilometres as firefighters battled for hours to bring the inferno under control.”
A report by The Guardian on the fire incident, dated April 29, 2023, featured a tweet by @JaceyKnowles carrying the viral footage.
Multiple other news outlets had reported about the fire in an auction yard in Perth in April. Such reports can be seen here, here and here.
Hence, we found that an old video of a fire at an auction yard in Australia’s Perth has been falsely linked to the ongoing riots in France.
Result: False
Claim 3
A video of a group of masked men flaunting arms, and shooting openly in the air is going viral on social media platforms. Those sharing the video have linked it to the ongoing riots in France, and claimed “Armed rioters show off their arsenal of weapons in France.”
Such posts can be seen here, here and here.
Fact Check/Verification
We looked up the keyframes of the footage on Google lens, and found a Reddit post, dated April 18, 2021. Carrying a screengrab from the viral footage, the post elaborated on an incident involving the “Chechen diaspora in Dijon.”
Taking a clue, we looked up keywords “Chechen,” “Dijon streets” and “arms” on Google which yielded a report by Daily Mail, dated June 16, 2020. Carrying the viral footage, the report elaborated, “France’s gendarmerie flooded into Dijon today after Chechen gangs were filmed firing assault rifles in the air as they prepared to carry out ‘revenge attacks’. Horrifying videos released on social media show the well-armed masked men – who also brandish pistols – in the eastern city, 200 miles from Paris.”
The report further stated that as per source “the trouble was originally triggered by an assault of a 16-year-old Chechen last Wednesday which is being investigated as ‘attempted murder’
A report by France24, dated June 16, 2020, stated, “Police sources said the unrest (in Dijon) was sparked by an attack on a 16-year-old member of the Chechen community on June 10. Members of the Chechen diaspora then set out on so-called punishment raids seeking to avenge the assault, they said.”
Hence, an old video has been shared out of context, and misleadingly linked to the recent riots in France.
Result: Missing Context
Claim 4
A video of a speeding car running over bystanders has been linked to the ongoing riots in France. Twitter user @FranceRiots shared the fifteen-second-long- video claiming, “This driver decided to take matter to his own hands and punish the rioters #FranceRiots #FranceHasFallen #franceViolence #RiotsFrance.”
The post can be seen here.
Also Read: Amid Unrest, French Government Calls Out Viral ‘Internet Ban’ Circular As Fake
Fact Check/Verification
A Google lens search on the keyframes of the video led us to a report by HuffPost, dated April 16, 2023. Displaying a screengrab from the clip, the report elaborated, “The 32-year-old motorist who lost control of his vehicle on Friday evening in Bordeaux during a wild car race, injuring 13 people , was indicted and imprisoned, the prosecution announced on Sunday April 16. (translated from French)”
Adding, “The driver who says he came ” as a spectator ” to this illegal event was put on trial for aggravated involuntary injuries (hit and run and willful breach of the rules of conduct) and violation of the law on motorised rodeos.”
The video was also uploaded on YouTube by TF1 INFO on April 17, 2023. The description of the same read, “Six people were injured during a wild rodeo in Bordeaux, two of them seriously. A car left the road on a bend, mowing down spectators. The driver was arrested shortly after, along with his three passengers”
Hence, months old video from a race has been falsely shared as a driver taking “matter to his own hands” and punishing the rioters” in France.
Result: False
Sources
Tweet By @Prefet91, Dated July 2, 2023
Tweet By @JaceyKnowles, Dated April 28, 2023
Report By Daily Mail, Dated June 16, 2020
YouTube Video By TF1 INFO on April 17, 2023
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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.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
