Right wing uses 2019 video from France to spread communal hatred.

Claim

Rating

Explanation

This video is being virally shared in social media which is purported to be from Republic Square in Paris, France and the video shows several protestors waving a flag. The posts sharing this video claim that Muslims have captured France and they have destroyed the country. Some accuse the protestors of being Jihadis. Many right wing IDs in India as well as abroad have been sharing the videos with similar claims like these which can be seen here, here, here, here, here and here.

What’s the truth?

When we tried to find out what flag is waved in the video, we were able to find out that it was an Algerian flag. When we did a keyword search and a reverse image search, we found out the video is from 2019.

French-Algerians and Algerians living in France protesting against Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term. Place de la République in Paris awash with Algerian flags and banners calling for a free and democratic Algeria. pic.twitter.com/agRZvbO3R3

— Selina Sykes (@Selina_Sykes) March 10, 2019

It was taken during a protest of Algerians who have been living in France protesting the then President of Algeria Abdelaziz Bouteflika announcing his bid for a fifth term as President which was received with widespread protests in Algeria. The protests spread to France as well, where significant population of Algerians live. Several news outlets have covered the protests in 2019 which can be seen here, here, here and here.

Protests in France

Currently, France is witnessing several acts of violence & protests over the past few days over a death of a teenager who was shot dead by traffic police while being stopped for a checking. The protests are reported to have expanded to the French Guiana and the Indian Ocean island of Reunion as well. The protest is widely done by youngsters and it has been reported that the average age of 3,354 protesters who got arrested is just 17. French President Emmanuel Macron accused social media for the violence and arson that has been committed during the protests.

Conclusion

In our search, we find that the video shared in social media with claims that it is from the current protests in France is false. These videos were taken in 2019 when Algerians living in France protested over Presidency in Algeria.

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