FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show A London Protest Against Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccines?

An image shared on Twitter purportedly shows a July 24 protest in London against mandatory COVID-19 vaccines.

This was London on Saturday, protesting against mandatory vaccines, obvs. not big enough for the media to notice or report on… 🙄 pic.twitter.com/skKvwrpfsJ

— veritas (@veritas77330329) July 26, 2021

Verdict: False

The photo actually shows a July 2018 FIFA World Cup championship celebration in Paris.

Fact Check:

On July 24, thousands of people in London protested against COVID-19 vaccinations, vaccine passports and other virus-related rules, The Independent reported. Other demonstrations against COVID-19 mitigation measures also took place in France, Italy and Australia the same day, according to The New York Times.

The tweet posted July 26 attempts to claim a photo of thousands of people gathered on an urban street was taken at the July 24 protest in London, saying, “This was London on Saturday, protesting against mandatory vaccines, obvs. not big enough for the media to notice or report on…” (RELATED: Does The Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Contain Graphene Oxide?)

In reality, the scene depicted in the picture didn’t take place in London or during the COVID-19 pandemic. An uncropped version of it can be found on Getty Images, where the captions states it was taken from the top of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris during July 15, 2018, celebrations of France’s FIFA World Cup final win.

The soccer match took place July 15 in Moscow that year, with France defeating Croatia 4-2, according to NPR. People celebrated the victory throughout France, the outlet reported. France 24 English tweeted footage of crowds near the Eiffel Tower reacting the moment the French team officially clinched its World Cup title.

The U.K. government on July 19 lifted most COVID-19 restrictions in England, including those on social distancing and the size of social gatherings, according to NPR. The Department of Health and Social Care says on the U.K. government’s website that businesses and organizations can choose to use the National Health Service COVID Pass, encouraging its use in “facilities or events where people are likely to be in close proximity to a large number of people from other households for a sustained period of time.”

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