FACT CHECK: Did An Airshow In France Display The Russian Flag?

Joseph Casieri | Fact Check Reporter

A post shared on social media allegedly shows an airshow in France releasing the colors of the Russian flag, not the French flag.

Verdict: False

The colors were released vertically, like the French flag, but the video shows them horizontally.

Fact Check:

The Olympic torch arrived in France in the southern city of Marseille recently, The Associated Press reported. French Olympic swimmer Florent Manaudou was the first to carry the torch before it was handed off two more times.

A video shared on X, formerly known as twitter alleges a French airshow released colors from planes, displaying the Russian flag. The video shows several planes in a close formation as they release blue, white and red trails.

The claim is inaccurate. The French flag is three vertical stripes and the Russian flag is the same three colors but lined horizontally. The angle of this video appears to show that the white stripes are on the top of the flag with the strip line horizontally.

A ground view angle shows that the strips were intended as vertical strips, matching the French flag. Other images show that the French flag was displayed in the correct order. (RELATED: Did The City Of Chicago Ceremonially Raise Palestinian Flag?)

This is not the first time misinformation has been shared online. Check Your Fact debunked a claim that Trump faked the size of a crowd at his rally.

Joseph Casieri

Fact Check Reporter

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