&Quot;2023&Quot; &Quot;France&Quot;

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 a photo circulating on social media show pop star Lady Gaga endorsing Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign on his social media application Truth Social? No, that's not true: The image has been digitally altered. The original photo does not come from a real post on Truth Social and was taken by a Getty Images photographer. The photo actually displays…

Does this video actually show damage to a Paris building from a gas explosion last month, as a Twitter Community Note suggests? No, that's not true: This video shows the collapse of a pharmacy building in the town of Montargis, France. The fire had been set by vandals and looters in the night, and the smoldering building finally collapsed on…

Did protesters in France release animals from the zoo after police shot a teen, causing the animals to roam the streets? No, that's not true: Social media posts making this claim are showing old video clips of various animals running loose in different communities at different times. Additionally, the Paris Zoological Park has confirmed that all of its animals are…

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 really show "recovered" footage of the OceanGate Titan submersible imploding? No, that's not true: This is a fake animated video clip, as confirmed by the Twitter account in which this claim is found. Also, this video derives from a Twitter account with a sham blue "verified" checkmark. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Twitter,…

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…