FACT CHECK: X Video Shows Hamas Supporter Burning French Flag In Morocco, Not Paris
A viral video shared on X purports to show a Hamas supporter burning a French flag in Paris.
Hamas supporters in Paris burn the flags of France 🇫🇷 #Hamas_is_ISIS #TheWestIsNext pic.twitter.com/M3d14hWeGO
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) November 6, 2023
Verdict: False
The video was filmed in Morocco, not Paris. In the original iteration of the video, also shared on X, a Moroccan police officer is visible.
Fact Check:
Paul Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish man, died following a recent protest in California focused on the current Israel-Hamas conflict, according to CBS News. Kessler, who was pro-Israel, was allegedly struck with a megaphone by a pro-Palestinian protestor, the outlet reported.
“Hamas supporters in Paris burn the flags of France,” the X video, viewed over 200,000 times, purports. The video shows a woman who is part of a large crowd setting fire to a French flag.
The incident did not take place in Paris, however. In the original iteration of the video, also shared on X, a police officer is visible. On the shoulder of the officer’s uniform is a red and gold patch bearing a gold crown, gold leaves, and a green star.
BREAKING NEWS: Colonized people have a general dislike towards their colonizers?? 😱😱😱 https://t.co/Ph38mT1jI9
— semi 🍓 فلسطين 🇩🇿 (@KAVEHAlTHAM) October 28, 2023
The patch matches that of a uniform featured on the website, “Leo Minor,” a company that designs uniforms for members of law enforcement. The website indicates the uniform is for police officers serving the Kingdom of Morocco, and the uniform design was completed from 2016 to 2017.
A January 2017 article from Morocco World News corroborates the claim, highlighting the fact that the police force began wearing new uniforms, which cost less than their previous ones at the time. A photo of the same red and gold patch featuring the gold crown, gold leaves, and green star appears in the article.
Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find any credible news reports suggesting Hamas supporters recently burned French flags in Paris. In addition, the Police Nationale, or French National Police, have not publicly addressed the claim. (RELATED: Viral Post Claims Several IDF Troops Died In Blast)
Check Your Fact has contacted the Police Nationale for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
