Old Video of Algerians Protesting in Paris Viral With Misleading Context

We found the video dates back to 2019, when Algerians were protesting against former President Bouteflika.

A video of people carrying flags and protesting in front of a statue is going viral on the internet, with users claiming that it is recent and shows refugees protesting at Republic Square in France.

What have users said?: People have shared the video with a caption that said, "This is Republic Square, Paris. Refugees have crushed French Society and showing their dominance. France has unofficially SURRENDERED."

(Archives of similar posts can be found here, here, here, and here.) We also received multiple queries about the viral video on our WhatsApp tipline.

What is the truth?: While the video of the protests is from France, it is not recent.

• The video dates back to 2019 and shows Algerians protesting against former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was set to secure a fifth term.

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How did we find out?: We noticed the flags people held looked similar to the Algerian national flag.

• Taking this as a hint, we performed a keyword search in English and came across a report published on France24 on 10 March 2019.

• It was headlined, "Thousands join Algeria protests in Paris and other French cities."

• The report mentioned that thousands of people gathered at the Republique Square in Paris to demonstrate against Bouteflika’s decision to seek a fifth term in office.

• The protests saw people and students of Algerian origin coming out on the streets.

• We found a video uploaded on the official YouTube channel of AP Archive.

• The video was uploaded on 15 March 2019 titled, "Thousands rally in Paris against Algeria president."

• It showed visuals of people protesting and raising slogans against Bouteflika at the Place de la Republique.

What were the protests about?: A Vox report said that Algerians were protesting against the ailing President at that time who was reportedly seeking a fifth term in the office.

• Bouteflika had served as the President since 1999. However, he was paralysed in 2013 after suffering a stroke.

• After several weeks of protests, Bouteflika announced that he won't be running for a fifth term.

Conclusion: The viral video dates back to 2019 and is being shared on the internet with a misleading context.

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