FACT CHECK: Viral Video Shows Couple Dining In France Amid Pension Reform Riots
A video shared on Twitter purports to show a couple dining outside in France amid recent riots.
EVERYTHING IS FINE YOU GUYS. It’s just a completely, totally normal date night. They’re just having some fine wine, chatting in front of a crackling fire. 🤣🤣🤣https://t.co/kZcvAbka1f#ChaoticGood #FrenchProtests #EverythingisFine #France #FranceRiots #FranceOnFire… pic.twitter.com/AWGtpRq13Q
— ChaoticGood42 (@ChaoticGood42) July 2, 2023
Verdict: Misleading
The video, originally published to Twitter in March 2023, shows a couple dining amid protests over French President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform plans. The video is not connected to the July 2023 riots occurring in the country.
Fact Check:
Several hundred protestors rejected a ban and marched in central Paris Saturday to call attention to police violence following the death of Nahel Merzouk, according to Reuters. Merzouk, a 17-year-old of Algerian descent, was fatally shot by police during a traffic stop on Jun. 27, BBC News reported.
“EVERYTHING IS FINE YOU GUYS. It’s just a completely, totally normal date night. They’re just having some fine wine, chatting in front of a crackling fire,” the Twitter video, viewed over 100,000 times, purports. In the video, the couple can be seen dining outside while a nearby fire burns.
The claim is misleading. The video, originally published to Twitter in March 2023, shows a couple dining amid protests over Macron’s pension reform plans. The video was also referenced in a March 2023 Daily Mail article highlighting violent riots that occurred in France in response to Macron’s pension reform bill. The article indicates the couple was dining in Bordeaux.
A Normal day in todays France 🇫🇷.
How people go on a dinner or date while few feet’s away, chaos and fire destruction 🔥 burns.
— Ainà Dipo 🇳🇬 (@dipoaina1) March 25, 2023
Likewise, the Twitter video is not referenced in any credible news reports about the recent riots that have been occurring in France following Merzouk’s death. In addition, the Police Nationale/French Police have not publicly referenced the clip on their website or verified social media accounts. Macron also has not released a statement about the video clip. (RELATED: Did Rioters In France Release Zoo Animals?)
Check Your Fact has contacted the Police Nationale/French Police for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
