FACT CHECK: Did Hamas Supporters Recently Clash With Police In Sweden?

Christine Sellers | Fact Check Reporter

A viral video shared on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, purports to show Hamas supporters recently clashing with police in Sweden.

Verdict: Misleading

The video shows riots that occurred in 2022 after the far-right group Hard Line planned to burn copies of the Koran, according to X and Al Jazeera, respectively. A spokesperson for the Swedish Police in Bergslagen denied the video was recent in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

Two Swedish nationals were fatally shot Monday in an attack in Brussels by a man who claimed he is a member of the Islamic State, according to Reuters. There is no evidence the alleged shooter has any link to the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, a Belgian federal prosecutor said, the outlet reported.

“#Palestine #Hamas supporters clashing with police in #Sweden, they seized control of a police vehicle Follow and keep updated,” the X video’s caption purports. In the video, a group of protestors appear to drive off in a police vehicle amid nearby chanting. The video has been viewed over 8,000 times as of writing.

The video does not show Hamas supporters clashing with police in Sweden recently, however. The video was originally shared on X in April 2022, which predates the current Israel-Hamas conflict. Likewise, a keyword search generates an Al Jazeera article indicating riots took place in Orebo, Sweden, back in April 2022, after the far-right group Hard Line planned to burn copies of the Koran.

Counter-protestors attacked police ahead of the planned demonstration, according to the outlet. Rasmus Paludan, a politician and the leader of Hard Line, never appeared at the rally intended to burn copies of the Koran, later saying he’d canceled it. At least 34 people were arrested, and at least 40 people were injured following the counter-protest, the outlet indicated.

Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports suggesting Hamas supporters recently clashed with police in Sweden. In addition, the Swedish Police have neither repeated the claim on its website nor its verified X account. (RELATED: Video Does Not Show Gaza Hospital Explosion)

A spokesperson for the Swedish Police in Bergslagen denied the video was recent in an email to Check Your Fact.

“The video you are referring to is from April 2022,” the spokesperson said.

Christine Sellers

Fact Check Reporter

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