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| - Fact Check: Video of migrants setting shrubs on fire is NOT related to recent wildfires in Greece
India Today's investigation found that the video is from a 2019 clash between migrants and cops in Diavata near Thessaloniki in Northern Greece.
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India Today Fact Check
This video shows a 2019 clash between migrants and the police at Diavata near Thessaloniki in Northern Greece.
In recent weeks, deadly fires have been sweeping across Greece and other European countries, destroying homes and threatening nature reserves. In Greece alone, over 600 fires have scorched vast swathes of land, leaving thousands of holidaymakers stranded. The country's climate change minister Vassilis Kikilias stated that the majority of the fires were started by "human hand," either due to criminal negligence or intentional actions.
A video now circulating on social media purports to show that the fires in Greece were set by illegal immigrants. The video features a large group of people, including children, walking through a field with their bags, and some individuals can be seen burning shrubs along the way.
“Climate Change. Yeah definitely that. Not masses of #IllegalMigrants setting fire to Greece. #ClimateScam coming to a country near you. #WEF2030Agenda Style,” wrote a person on Twitter while sharing the video.
India Today found that the video in question was from 2019 and not related to the recent wildfires in Greece.
Our Probe
With the help of a keywords search, we found an uncropped version of the same video shared in June 2019. This version of the video contained a timestamp with "Diavata, Greece (04-05-19)" written on it.
We then searched for media reports on fires from April 2019. This led us to a New York Times report published on April 5, 2019. The report included a photo of a blonde woman with two children seen in the viral video. According to the report, the photo was from a clash that broke out between refugees and the Greek police near a refugee camp in Diavata near Thessaloniki in Northern Greece.
This incident was also covered by other international media outlets, including Reuters and BBC. According to the BBC, on April 4, 5, and 6 of 2019, migrants gathered in Diavata to begin their journey to northern Europe in response to a fake rumour spread through social media about the opening of borders between Greece and North Macedonia. Starting on the evening of April 4, clashes erupted between the migrants and the Greek police who blocked the route to the north.
According to a Daily Mail report, Greek riot police used tear gas to disperse the migrants. The protesters lit fires to make the air more bearable, but blazes also erupted from exploding stun grenades, the report added.
Encouraged by the social media rumours, hundreds of migrants also gathered at the central Larissis train station in Athens to make their way north. Greece's migration minister, Dimitris Vitsas, refuted the rumours, stating that the borders would not open, and urged migrants to return to state-run camps.
A similar video from the clash was also uploaded to the YouTube channel of The Sun on April 6, 2019.
It is, hence, evident that the video in question is over four years old and not related to the recent forest fires in Greece.
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