FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Austrians Protesting The Country’s Recent COVID-19 Lockdown?

Mecca FowlerNovember 22, 2021

A video shared on Twitter allegedly shows a protest in Austria after the country’s government instituted a lockdown for unvaccinated individuals.

Austria after the lockdown for the unvaccinated [THE GLORY OF THE PEOPLE]. SHARE this far and wide.
@SergeantRobertHorton pic.twitter.com/c0ZW5hqLo0

— Lucia (@Lucia_nurse_74) November 18, 2021

Verdict: False

The video dates back to 2019 and shows soccer fans, not people protesting pandemic-related restrictions.

Fact Check:

Last week, the Austrian government instituted a lockdown on people who have not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, requiring them to remain in their homes except for essential reasons such as grocery shopping and working, according to CNBC. The lockdown has since been extended to everyone in the country, NPR reported.

Now, a video purporting to show Austrians marching in protest after the lockdowns were announced is spreading online. However, it dates back to well before the World Health Organization in March 2020 declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.

Check Your Fact found the same video posted in late November 2019 on a Facebook fan page for the German soccer team Borussia Mönchengladbach, with the caption indicating it was taken in Graz, Austria. It can also be found on the YouTube channel RP ONLINE – WIR SIND SPORT, where it was also linked in the Nov. 29, 2019, caption to the same soccer team and the city.

“Over 6,000 fans attended Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Europa League game against Wolfsberger AC in the Merkur Arena in Graz,” reads a translation of the YouTube video’s caption. “Many of them previously took part in the fan march from the city center to the venue for the game.”

Borussia Mönchengladbach won a match against the Wolfsberger AC soccer team on Nov. 28, 2019. (RELATED: Does This Image Show A London Protest Against Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccines?)

While the video in question does not show people protesting against Austria’s COVID-19 restrictions, thousands of Austrians did, according to the Associated Press, demonstrate in the capital city of Vienna on Saturday. Genuine images of people protesting against Austria’s recent lockdown measures can be viewed on Getty Images.