A video shared on Twitter claims to show several lions roaming in a street in Paris, France where riots have recently occurred. 

France is becoming one big zoo.#FranceRiots #Lions pic.twitter.com/wiEtDO1GOF

— Red (@RymdReddington) July 2, 2023

Verdict: False

The video is miscaptioned. It shows lions from a safari park in the United Kingdom, not France.

Fact Check:

A police officer shot a 17-year-old of African descent sparking five nights of widespread protests across France, including Paris, according to The Guardian. Attackers used fireworks attempting to set fire to the home of a Suburban Paris mayor, injuring his wife and one of his children, BBC reported.

A Twitter shows lions roaming around several stopped cars on a road, claiming that they have escaped as a result of the riots. Text on the video identifies the location as France and includes a French flag emoji.

“France is becoming one big zoo #FranceRiots #Lions,” the tweet reads.

However, the video is miscaptioned and is not recent. It video dates back to at least Oct. 21, 2020, when it was posted on Facebook and Instagram. It was also posted to YouTube in 2021. Furthermore, it was not taken in France. The footage resembles that of a YouTube video which identifies the location as Knowsley Safari Park, located in Preston, England. (RELATED: Does This Video Show Dirty Streets In Paris, France After Recent Protests?)

As several commenters pointed out, the license plates match those of England and not of France.

😂😂😂 these are literally all British numbers plates 😂😂😂

— Natalie 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🌸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🌸 (@pureangel40) July 2, 2023

Check Your Fact has reached out to Knowsley Safari Park for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.