A video shared on Twitter allegedly shows a gorilla that escaped from a zoo in Paris, France during the recent riots in the city. 

After the protesters opened the doors of the zoo in Paris, the capital of France, an escaped gorilla climbed the buildings. 🦍😳 pic.twitter.com/kKPinsSC00

— Johnson Knott (@JohnsonKnott1) July 3, 2023

Verdict: False

The video is miscaptioned. It depicts a statue, not a real gorilla, which is located in the French city of Valence, not Paris.

Fact Check:

Riots have occurred throughout France after police killed 17-year-old delivery driver of north African descent during a traffic stop last week, Associated Press reported. Hundreds of cars and buildings have been set on fire and tens of thousands of police officers were deployed to try to control the crowd, according to USA Today.

A Twitter video purports a gorilla escaped from a zoo during the riots. The post appears to show shaky nighttime footage showing a silhouette resembling a gorilla.

“After the protesters opened the doors of the zoo in Paris, the capital of France, an escaped gorilla climbed the buildings,” the tweet reads.

The footage is miscaptioned, however. Check Your Fact found no credible news reports about such an incident occurring recently. An image of the gorilla statue can be seen in a French newspaper which identifies the location as Valence, France. The statue can also be viewed on Google Maps street view of the city. (RELATED: No, Video Does Not Show Recent Explosion In Paris)

The video was posted on TikTok in February 2023, predating the protests. It appears to be reposted from another TikTok account, but Check Your Fact could not locate the original video. 

@raph.pslq #meme #gorille #clacité #sanglier ♬ son original – Raphaël