Old Video Shared as Men Brandishing Weapons During France Protests
We found that the video dates back to June 2020 and is unrelated to the recent violence in France.
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A video which shows several armed people firing shots in the air is being shared on the internet as a recent incident from France.
What are users claiming?: People on social media have shared the caption with a caption that said, "Armed rioters show off their arsenal of weapons in France."
An archive of the post can be seen here.
(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)
At the time of writing this report, the video had recorded more than 1 million views. (Archives of similar claims can be found here, here, and here.)
What is the truth?: While the video is from France, it dates back to June 2020 and shows Chechen gangs firing assault rifles in the air in Dijon city.
The group members reportedly took to streets after a 16-year-old Chechen was assaulted.
How did we find that out?: We divided the video into several keyframes using the video verification tool, InVID, and performed a reverse image search.
We found a report published on 16 June 2020 on DailyMail which carried similar visuals as the viral video.
It mentioned that the well-armed masked men brandishing pistols and weapons belonged to the Chechen gangs.
The gang members were prepared to carry out 'revenge attacks' after a 16-year-old Chechen was assaulted.
The report quoted a source who said that the French government has sent police and military enforcements to the city to bring the situation under control.
On comparing several keyframes from the viral video to the visuals available in the report, we found that several similarities.
The comparison showed that all the visuals are from the same incident.
The comparison showed that all the visuals are from the same incident.
The comparison showed that all the visuals are from the same incident.
On performing a keyword search, we found a video on the official YouTube channel of Sky News Australia.
At around the 0:43 mark of the video, one could similar visuals as the viral one.
News reports: According to France24, members of the Chechen community took out punishment raids to avenge the assault of the 16-year-old.
The violence continued for three consecutive days.
Around 150 people again assembled in the country, and some of them were even seen shooting in the air.
Recent update on France: Fewer arrests were made as the clashes between police personnel and rioters reduced again, LeMonde reported on 5 July.
President Emmanuel Macron said that the peak of riots has passed.
Protests broke out in different areas of the country after the police allegedly shot and killed a 17-year-old.
Conclusion: It is clear that the video dates back to June 2020 and is unrelated to the recent violence that broke out in France.
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