French Riots

Did American actor Elijah Wood offer Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "to cure drug and alcohol addiction" on Instagram? No, that's not true: The actor doesn't post Instagram stories publicly. Wood did not say anything that would imply he was addressing Zelenskyy specifically in the heavily edited clip circulating on social media. The claim appeared in a tweet published on July…

Did the French military say in July 2023 that it would arrest French President Emmanuel Macron for treason during 2023 French protests? No, that's not true: The claim relies on unsubstantiated information and there is no evidence that the French military ever made such an announcement. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published on July 6, 2023, by…

Does this video show an explosion at the European Parliament headquarters in Strasbourg, France? No, that's not true: A press officer for the European Parliament told Lead Stories that the claim video portrayed "inaccurate information" and, "There was no such event at the European Parliament." Local media in Strasbourg reported on violence in the area near the European Parliament headquarters,…

Does a video show a bulldozer destroying a street in France amid the 2023 protests following the police shooting death of a teenager of North African descent? No, that's not true: Despite a text overlay that implies the video was taken during or after French protests, the clip in question is a video compilation that was originally published on YouTube…

Did French President Emmanuel Macron impose "a total ban" on the use of social media or implement any other major restrictions on internet access in France in connection with mass protests? No, that's not true: While Macron did bring up the idea of shutting down social media, no such executive action was taken as of this writing. The claim appeared…

Does this video show a crowd gathered in Nanterre, France, to protest the June 27, 2023, killing of Nahel Merzouk by police? No, that's not true: This video of a crowd at El Zocalo, the main square of Mexico City, was filmed and posted online on June 3, 2023. It shows a crowd gathered for a concert by Los Fabulosos…

Does a video show that Algerians have taken over France in the summer of 2023? No, that's not true: The video was filmed in Paris in 2019 at a time when there were protests in Algeria. Peaceful protests were attended in cities around the world by the Algerian diaspora who objected to Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announcing that after 20…

Does a video show a building on fire in France amid the 2023 protests following the police shooting death of a teenager of North African descent? No, that's not true: The video shows a fire in a residential building in Ajman, United Arab Emirates on June 27, 2023. The building on fire is not in France amid the riots that…

Was this photo taken during the summer 2023 French riots? No, that's not true: This photo is from 2016 during the Union of European Football Association's championship, also known as the Euro Cup, in Paris, France. A Huffington Post article from 2016 features the photograph in the context of French police using tear gas near crowds in the "fan zone"…

Did an "arson attack on the Bibliothèque nationale de France" (National Library of France) on July 3, 2023, destroy "thousands of books and manuscripts"? No, that's not true: The video in a social media post shows a fire at the historic Manila Central Post Office in the Philippine capital on May 21, 2023. The claim appeared in a post and…