FACT CHECK: Viral Image Does Not Show Supermarket Ransacked In France Amid 2023 Riots
An image shared on Twitter purports to show a supermarket in France that was ransacked amid the country’s recent riots.
This is my local Netto’s in Paris this morning
No tomatoes
Fsck Brexit pic.twitter.com/y9Ugf6XvmI
— JonClodd (@JonClodd) July 2, 2023
Verdict: False
The image was not taken in France. The image stems from a 2016 article highlighting a Somalian supermarket that had been ransacked.
Fact Check:
French courts are working overtime to process the more than 3,600 people who have been arrested in connection with recent riots in the country, according to The Associated Press. Riots ensued in France following the death of Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old of North African descent who was killed in a fatal police shooting, Reuters reported.
“This is my local Netto’s in Paris this morning No tomatoes Fsck Brexit,” the Twitter post, viewed over 80,000 times, purports. The post features an image of various items strewn across an aisle inside the supermarket.
The claim is false, as the image stems from a 2016 article published by the website “Roodepoort Record,” highlighting a Somalian supermarket that had been ransacked. What sparked the incident was not known, with conflicting versions of the event having been reported, also according to the article.
Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find the purported photo shared via the Twitter post included in any credible news reports about the recent riots in France. The photo has neither been referenced on the Police Nationale/French Police’s website nor its verified social media accounts. In addition, French President Emmanuel Macron has not publicly commented on the purported photo. (RELATED: Did A Gorilla Escape From A Zoo In Paris, France During The Riots?)
An iteration of the claim also circulated on Facebook, where it prompted criticism of Macron.
“Emmanuel Macron – has developed the Boris Johnson flair for destruction, disruption and destruction!” wrote one social media user.
“How will such rioting and looting help the most deprived communities in France? It is likely to boost populist support for even more repressive policing,” another user’s comment read in part.
Check Your Fact has contacted the Police Nationale/French Police for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.