France remains shaken by a wave of protests triggered by the police shooting of a 17-year-old boy in a western suburb of Paris.
Nahel Merzouk was fatally shot at point-blank range while at the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz on June 27, 2023, leading to discontent across the nation. The boy's death has been condemned by French President Emmanuel Macron.
As instability remains, a far-right figure in European politics claimed to have found footage of a rooftop gunman, targeting the street below, amid the unrest.
The Claim
A tweet sent by the leader of the far-right group Britain First, Paul Footing, posted on June 30, 2023, viewed 3.5 million times, included a video of what appeared to be someone with a rifle, atop a tower block, aiming at people in the street below.
The tweet added: "Snipers spotted on French rooftops. This is literally a civil war now in France. #FranceRiots"
The Facts
Protests in France have been accompanied by acts of violence including arson and fireworks attacks. Escalation through the use of live firearms would certainly mark a turning point in tensions, as Golding's tweet suggests.
However, Golding's tweet is inaccurate for a number of reasons.
The video shared by Golding was not shot recently. Searches show that it has been online since at least March 2022, posted originally on what appears to be Snapchat.
As has also been pointed out on Twitter, the weapon in the video is a BB replica, not a real rifle. Key features are missing, such as a bolt arm (the manual device by which bolt ammunition is ejected) or an ammunition cartridge ejection port.
While a BB device could hurt or (depending on velocity and site of impact) even seriously injure someone, it's very unlikely to be able to kill or maim.
In short, the video is at least a year old, is from a social media post of someone holding a BB gun and there appears to be no other evidence of snipers targeting crowds in France.
Roughly 2,800 people have been arrested since the violence erupted, leaving buildings and cars ablaze and dozens of law enforcement wounded, according to the French Interior Ministry.
On Friday night alone, 79 police and gendarmes were injured and there were 58 attacks on police and gendarme stations, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. As of early Sunday, the Ministry said on Twitter that an additional 719 people were arrested overnight and that 45 more law enforcement officers were wounded.
Newsweek has reached out to a media representative for Britain First via email for comment.
The Ruling
False.
The video was not shot recently. Searches show it has been online since at least March 2022, shared on Twitter after being posted to what appears to be Snapchat.
The gun in the video isn't real, either. It's a replica or a BB air gun, as can be seen from the lack of key features (such as a magazine ejection port or a bolt arm) along the side of the rifle.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
