Fact Check: 2018 FIFA victory celebrations passed off as anti-vax protests in France
A photograph from 2018 has gone viral on social media with the false claim that people in France have the hit the streets in support of the anti-vax protests.
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India Today Fact Check
This image is of people rejoicing after France's victory in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
From today, people in France are required to show a health pass to visit cinemas and other public venues gathering more than 50 people. The French government has also made it mandatory for health workers to get vaccinated.
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in France to protest the fresh anti-Covid measures. In the backdrop of these developments, an image of a woman holding the French flag and overlooking a street filled with thousands of people is doing the rounds on social media. It is being said that the image shows the French protesting against Covid vaccination.
A Twitter user posted the picture with the caption, "Wow the anti-vaccine protests in France are huge!"
The archived version of the post can be seen here.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the viral image is from 2018 and has nothing to do with the recent protests in France. The picture is of people celebrating France's victory over Croatia in the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals.
AFWA probe
Several Twitter users pointed out that the picture was taken after France's 2018 FIFA World Cup win.
Reverse-searching the viral image, we found it on the website of Getty Images. As per the picture description, it was taken from the top of the iconic French monument 'Arch of Triumph' on July 15, 2018. It shows people at Paris's Champs-lysées avenue celebrating France's victory over Croatia in the finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia.
The picture was clicked by Ludovic Marin of the AFP.
We went through Marin's Instagram page and found that he had posted two other pictures of the same celebrations on July 19, 2018. His caption in French translates to, "These pictures were shot three days ago on Champs-lysées avenue after the victory of the French football team."
Comparing one of the images posted by Marin with the viral image, we found several similarities.
Some visuals of people protesting against the recently introduced anti-Covid guidelines in France can be in this report by WION.
Evidently, a 2018 image of a crowd that had gathered to celebrate France's victory in the football world cup is being shared as a protest against Covid-19 vaccination in France.
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