FACT CHECK: Viral X Image Does Not Show Protests Against Le Pen In France
The article describes a viral image that circulated online claiming to show a group of individuals protesting against French politician Marine Le Pen’s recent election victory. However, the claim is false as the image actually originates from a 2014 New York Times article that highlighted anti-Semitism in Europe during the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict. The image falsely purports to depict protesters reacting to Le Pen’s electoral success when it actually shows a completely different context. Fact-checking sources confirm that the image is not related to recent events in France or Le Pen’s political victories. The article emphasizes the importance of fact-checking and verifying information before sharing it.
A viral image shared on X purports to show a group of individuals protesting against French politician Marine Le Pen’s recent election victory.
Screenshot captured via X
Verdict: False
The claim is false, as the image originally stems from a 2014 New York Times article highlighting Anti-Semitism in Europe amid the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict.
Fact Check:
Le Pen and the National Rally party won 33% of the vote during the first round of France’s “snap parliamentary elections,” according to Al Jazeera. The second round of voting, however, resulted in a major left-wing upset, with the National Rally coming in third place, CNN reported.
The X image, viewed over 300,000 times as of writing, purports to show a group of individuals protesting against Le Pen’s recent election victory. “Image of a group of protesters who have taken to the streets of France to protest against Le Pen’s victory,” a translation of the image’s caption, which is originally written in Spanish, reads. In the image, some of the protestors can be seen holding Palestinian flags and wearing keffiyeh scarves. A swastika is also visible.
The claim is false, as the image originally stems from a 2014 New York Times article highlighting Anti-Semitism in Europe amid the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict. “Protesters in support of Palestinians in Gaza last weekend displayed a swastika at a Paris rally. The demonstration had been banned by the government and prompted deployment of police,” the image’s caption reads. According to the same caption, the image was captured by the European Pressphoto Agency.
Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find the image featured in any credible news reports about France or Le Pen’s recent election victory. Actually, the opposite is true. On July 2, Misbar reported the image originally stemmed from the 2014 New York Times article.
In addition, Le Pen has not publicly commented on the claim via her website or her verified social media accounts. French President Emmanuel Macron also has not issued a statement regarding the claim. (RELATED: No, Audio Does Not Show Keir Starmer Disparaging Liverpool)
Israel engaged in an armed conflict with Gaza from July 8 to August 26 of 2014, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine’s website. A total of 2,251 Palestinians were killed and another 11,231 were injured as a result of the conflict, the agency indicated.
This is not the first time a false claim has circulated online. Check Your Fact previously debunked an image shared on Facebook that claimed to show a United States weapons shipment to the Philippines after a recent incident in the West Philippine Sea with China.
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