Authors
A video showing people running down a street as they were being chased by the police has been widely shared on social media platforms in the last two weeks. Users have attributed this video to police action in France.
Many other users have shared this claim on Facebook.
Fact Check/ Verification
A reverse image search of keyframes from the video on Yandex.com led us to a Youtube video posted on 1 November 2020. Titled, “Only in 2020: Pianist keeps on playing the piano in the middle of a full-blown anti-lockdown riot,” the video received over 16,000 views.
“Only in 2020: Like a scene taken out of “Titanic” where, according to the legend, the band kept on playing while the ship was sinking, a man kept on playing the piano in a surreal chaotic scene during a fierce anti-lockdown riot in Barcelona, Spain on Friday 30 October 2020,” reads the video’s description.
Broadcaster Ciara King shared the video of a man playing the piano as well.
Global News, Ruptly, The Telegraph, and Daily Mail reported on the anti-lockdown riots in Barcelona.
We found the backdrop in the claim’s video and footage reported by media organisations to have similar visuals. So we looked at Google street view images of the riot’s location and compared it to visuals reported by the media.
We also compared a keyframe of the viral video and a Google street view of 8 Via Laietana, Barcelona, Catalonia and found it to be similar.
These violent riots erupted after prime minister Pedro Sánchez declared a six-month state of emergency in Spain in response to the coronavirus pandemic. “The state of emergency also permits Spain’s regional governments to bring in full or partial lockdowns, and limits public and private gatherings to six people,” reads The Guardian.
Conclusion
The video of police clashing with protesters on the street is from Barcelona, not France. These anti-lockdown protests erupted after a six-month state of emergency was declared in Spain.
Result: Misplaced Context
Our Sources
Youtube user: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JlzhTiCBZ0&feature=youtu.be
Ciara King: https://twitter.com/iamCiaraKing/status/1323211194052857856?s=20
Global News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH8J7QwVxgs
Ruptly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp0manbTTEg
The Telegraph: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFkPgq5f_uw
Daily Mail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCqnSLt_uHM
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/01/spain-pm-calls-calm-after-violent-anti-lockdown-protests
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