Video shows Brazilian soccer fans, not pro-Palestine protesters in France | Fact check
The claim: Video shows pro-Palestinian protest in France
An Oct. 29 post (direct link, archive link) on X, formerly Twitter, shows a large crowd of people walking down a street at night, chanting as fireworks and a red flare appear to go off.
"France has banned protests in support of Palestine – the French don't give a damn about government bans and are marching for Palestine," reads the video's caption, which includes the hashtags #CeasefireNOW and #FreePalestine.
The video was reposted more than 200 times. Similar posts were shared on Facebook.
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Our rating: False
The video predates the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. It shows fans of a Brazilian soccer team marching before a game.
Video shows soccer fans marching before match in Brazil
There have been many demonstrations in support of Palestinians around the world since war broke out between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The conflict began when Hamas launched a deadly Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel.
But the video shared on X does not show such a demonstration.
Rather, it shows supporters of a professional soccer team in Brazil marching with the team's bus before a game earlier this month. The same video was posted Oct. 5 – two days before Hamas attacked Israel – on X by an account called "Planeta do Futebol," with a translated caption that reads, "The path of Palmeiras fans to Allianz Parque," according to Google Translate.
Palmeiras is a Brazilian soccer team that plays its home games at Allianz Parque stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Boca Juniors, an Argentinian soccer team, defeated Palmeiras in a match Oct. 5 at Allianz Parque stadium, as the Associated Press previously reported.
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Estadao, a Brazilian news outlet, described the scene ahead of the match in a report published that same day, saying "thousands of (Palmeiras) fans accompanied the bus, singing and encouraging the squad," according to Google Translate. An image included in the report shows a similar scene to the video in the X post.
There have been efforts to restrict demonstrations in France, according to Reuters, but protests have still taken place in response to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Reuters and the Associated Press also debunked the claim.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
Planeta do Futebol, Oct. 5, X post
Palmeiras, accessed Oct. 31, SE Palmeiras | 109 Years of Passion and Glory
Allianz Parque, accessed Oct. 31, More than a stadium, a revolution
Estadao, Oct. 5, Fans drive buses from Palmeiras to Allianz in a party before the Libertadores game; see video
Reuters, Oct. 22, Thousands join Paris's first authorised pro-Palestinian demo since Hamas attacks
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video shows soccer fans, not French protesting Israel-Hamas war | Fact check
