Shayan Sardarizadeh Profile picture
Jul 2, 2023 19 tweets 13 min read Read on X
Thread: Viral misinformation about the French riots

This video of several cars falling from a multi-storey car park is from the set of the action film Fast & Furious 8, and unrelated to the current French riots.

It was filmed in 2016 on Prospect Avenue East in Cleveland, Ohio.





This viral image, shared on Twitter and Instagram, falsely claims to show French protesters capturing a police van.

The image is from the set of the 2022 French film Athena. A video of the scene can be found on YouTube.

Community Notes have been added to some Twitter posts.

A headline claiming French protesters are targeting police with US rifles smuggled out of Ukraine has been shared on Telegram and Twitter by pro-Kremlin users.

There's no evidence for the claim. The image is taken from a 2022 workshop for trophy hunters in Hauts-de-France.

This video falsely claims to show fire engulfing a tower block in France. The clip was posted online last week, and is unrelated to the French riots.

It shows fire at a residential high-rise building in Ajman, United Arab Emirates.

Several videos claiming to show wild animals at large during the French riots have gone viral online.

This one, showing a zebra on a street at night, first appeared online in April 2020. A Le Parisien article explained at the time that the zebra had escaped from a nearby circus.



This video claims to show several lions at large in the Paris district of Saint Denis at night during the current riots.

An earlier version of the video, dating back to Februray 2020, can be found on YouTube. A Libération fact-check piece confirms the footage is from 2020.



This video, showing what appears to be a sniper on the roof a building in Paris, has been widely shared on Twitter and TikTok.

An earlier version of the video, filmed in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, was posted online in March 2022.

Fact-checked by @hoaxeye and @SamDoak5.

Britain First's Ashlea Simon falsely claims this video shows a man "waving at Afircan Muslim rioters" from a balcony in Paris during the current riots.

A search on TikTok shows the video is from April, and was taken during a protest against President Macron's pension reforms.

Correction: The location appears to be the roof of a residential tower block in an eastern suburb of Paris, here: 48.8293413,2.539027
A video, shared by Britain First leader Paul Golding and others, claims "French rioters freed" a goat onto a street, overruning a city with animals.

The video was posted to TikTok in January, months before the current riots.

This video, once again shared by Britain First leader Paul Golding, claims to show "armed rioters showing their arsenal of weapons in France".

The clip is from the 2020 Dijon riots, showing a Chechen gang in Dijon calling for revenge after a teen was assaulted by a rival gang.

This video has been shared on both Twitter and TikTok, claiming to show French protesters armed with AK-47s.

The video shows the deadly 2015 terror attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

Yet another viral video of wild animals at large during the French riots claims to show a gorilla spotted on a rooftop.

Not only was the video posted to TikTok back in February, but it actually shows the statue of a gorilla on the roof of a building in Valence, not a real one.



This TikTok video, viewed 9.5 million times, claims to show a large crowd in Nanterre, where Nahel M was shot dead by police.

The video was posted to TikTok in early June, and shows a live concert by Argentinian band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs in Mexico City's main square Zócalo.



A video of a horse running on a pavement and knocking over a cafe table has racked up over five million views on Twitter.

The video was filmed in St Petersburg in 2022. The horse was reportedly frightened by firworks in the city.

A former Brexit Party candidate claims this image shows riots now breaking out in Belgium by migrants looting and burning cities. It has 11,000 retweets and 20,000 shares.

As the Community Note clarifies, the image shows a riot in Amsterdam after a 2022 World Cup game.

A video of burning cars has been shared on Twitter and TikTok, claiming to show French rioters set the cars on fire in Marseille.

The video is from Perth, Australia, and shows dozens of cars aflame at the Pickles auction yard; fact-checked by @snopes.

https://t.co/PQVqycfjqjsnopes.com/fact-check/new…


This image, shared by a notorious far-right account, is unrelated to the current French riots.

It shows football fans rioting near the Eiffel Tower on the day of the Euro 2016 final between France and Portugal; fact-checked by @ArbiterOfTweets.

A video of people dressed in Batman costumes getting off a van has been widely shared in the context of the French riots on both Twitter and TikTok.

But it shows a bar crawl in Florida State University in April, as several TikTok videos of the same van from other angles prove.



• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Shayan Sardarizadeh

Shayan Sardarizadeh Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @Shayan86

Jan 9
THREAD: Despite an internet shutdown, mass protests are continuing in Iran tonight. Follow this thread for verified videos.

A protester sprays "Long live the Shah" on a billboard in Punak Square, west Tehran.

Video: @Vahid

Location: maps.app.goo.gl/pSUhpjEM8jqy5D…

@GeoConfirmed x.com/Shayan86/statu…
A protester in Kaj Square in the Saadat Abad district of west Tehran holds up a picture of Reza Pahlavi, exiled son of the late Shah.

Video: @FardadFarahzad

Location:

Verified by: @GhonchehAzad

@GeoConfirmed maps.app.goo.gl/BD7boiKhhjpC2H…
Protesters on Pasdaran Street in north Tehran call for the return of Reza Pahlavi and the end of the clerical regime in Iran.

Video:@Vahid

Location:

@GeoConfirmed maps.app.goo.gl/pQ8LNyBmKEHfVL…
Read 6 tweets
Jan 8
THREAD: Huge protests have broken out in Iran tonight after a call by Reza Pahlavi, exiled son of the late Shah. Follow this thread for verified videos.

A large crowd of protesters on Kashani Blvd, west Tehran

Location:

Video: @Negaarsh

@GeoConfirmed maps.app.goo.gl/BzdCwy2sAS9Pyc…
A large crowd of protesters marches down 17 Shahrivar Street in the north-wrstern cito of Tabriz on day 12 of protests in Iran.

Video: @Vahid

Location:

@GeoConfirmed maps.app.goo.gl/29GFinEH5SpMSq…
Large numbers of protesters in Bagh Ferdows Square in the northern city of Babol chant "Long live the Shah" and "death to the dictator" tonight, on 12th day of protests in Iran.

Video: @Vahid

Location:

@GeoConfirmed maps.app.goo.gl/BGx44MF1nwxR8K…
Read 19 tweets
Jan 3
THREAD: As the US launches military strikes on Venezuela, I'll fact-check all the viral misinformation in this thread

This video claims to show US strikes on the Fort Tiuna military site in Venezuela.

In fact, it shows Iranian missile strikes on Israel during the 12-day war.Image
https://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/iran-strikes-israel-in-fresh-wave-of-missile-attacks/video/239bea2b1480e986e504e2e6d1253136
This video falsely claims to show US strikes on a port in the Venezuelan capital Caracas tonight.

But the clip dates back to October 2024, and shows Iranian missile strikes on the Nevatim air base in Israel. Image
https://www.tiktok.com/@trtworld/video/7420877156139486482
While this tweet by Gustavo Petro is indeed real, he is the president of Colombia, not Venezuela.

The president of Venezuela is Nicolas Maduro, who has shared a different message on his official Facebook page. Image
Read 9 tweets
Jan 2
THREAD: Verified videos of anti-establishment protests in Iran on 2 January

Security forces grab a young woman off the street as another protester rushes to help her, filmed near Haft Hoz Square in east Tehran.

Video: @Vahid

Location:

@GeoConfirmedmaps.app.goo.gl/yBLaoxH545NYTY…
Protesters gather outside a local police station in the southern city of Marvdasht as the sound of gunshots is heard in the background on the sixth day of protests in Iran.

Video: @bbcpersian

Location:

@GeoConfirmed maps.app.goo.gl/G4XYBd6VXN4T7T…
@bbcpersian @GeoConfirmed A large group of protesters march in the centre of Marvdasht in Fars province after a protester named Khodadad Shirvani was killed during rallies in the city on 1 January.

Video: @bbcpersian

Location:

Verified by @GhonchehAzad

@GeoConfirmed maps.app.goo.gl/Zo4CxDvLT7eZWc…
Read 9 tweets
Jul 4, 2025
THREAD: There have been questions about this video published by Iranian media today, which shows a deadly Israeli strikes on Tehran's Tajrish district on 15 June, with claims that the video is AI-generated and fake.

But the video is real and can be corroborated. Here's why.
First of all, the version that first went viral was very low-res and grainy, and that was the reason for some inconsistencies that could be seen in the footage.

The higher-resolution version, published later, looks more authentic.

But how can we confirm the strike happened?
Multiple videos were published by Iranian social media users on 15 June showing the aftermath of the strike.

The first strike targeted this building (35.805264, 51.435845) on Bahonar Street, just 100 metres from the second impact.

Here's the aftermath.

Image
Image
Image
Read 10 tweets
Jun 24, 2025
THREAD: New high-res satellite images released by Maxar Technologies on 24 June show new signs of damage at the Fordo nuclear site following an attack by Israel a day after the US bombed the facility.

New craters are visible at tunnel openings and buildings have been destroyed. Image
Image
Image
Image
At Iran's Natanz enrichment facility, two craters right above the undergound buildings housing centrifuges that were visible after US strikes on 22 June have now been covered with dirt.

Before: 22 June
After: 24 June

📷@Maxar Image
Image
@Maxar New Maxar Technologies satellite images show previously unseen damage to tunnel entrances at the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre caused by US strikes on 22 June.

Before: 20 June
After: 22 June

📷@Maxar Image
Image
Image
Image
Read 6 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(