Video of football fans in Brazil passed off as pro-Palestine protest in France

By: Praveen Kumar
November 2 2023

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A video of football fans marching towards the Allianz Parque stadium in Brazil is being widely shared on social media, claiming to show a pro-Palestine protest in France. (Source: X/Screenshots/Modified by Logically Facts)

Associated Press reported that on October 12, France's interior minister ordered local authorities to ban all pro-Palestine demonstrations amid a rise in antisemitic acts since the war began. Despite the ban, thousands of demonstrators protested in Paris on October 28 to support Palestinians, reported France24. 

What's the claim?

A video showing thousands of people marching on a flyover with smoke and sounds of fireworks has gone viral on social media. Users claim that it is footage from France, where a recent protest in support of Palestinians was held despite a country-wide ban on such demonstrations. The video and claim have been shared on X by multiple accounts, garnering tens of thousands of views. Accounts like "Now The End Begins," a far-right Christian conspiracy website known for spreading mis/disinformation, have also shared the video as a "pro-Hamas protest." Archived links to the posts can be found here, here, and here.

This claim and video have been shared on X, gaining large audience engagement. (Source: X/Screenshots)

The same has also been shared on Facebook and TikTok.

The same has also been shared on Facebook and TikTok. (Source: Facebook/TikTok/Screenshots)

However, this video is not from France and does not show a pro-Palestine or pro-Hamas protest.

What we found

We conducted a reverse image search using screenshots of the viral video. We found that the same video went viral through accounts that regularly share football-related updates on October 6. The posts, mostly from Brazil, claim that the viral video shows thousands of fans of the Brazilian football club Palmeiras marching towards the Allianz Parque stadium in São Paulo.

Among those sharing the viral video on October 6 was an X account named Planeta do Futebol, which regularly posts updates about football. It posted the viral video in the early hours of October 6 and credited it to ESPN Brazil presenter Marcela Rafael. Logically Facts has contacted Rafael for more details, and we will update this story if and when we receive a response. 

The same video with a similar description was posted to Instagram by Spanish football content website Bitbol on October 6.

Social media posts from October 6, 2023. (Source: X/Instagram/Screenshots/Modified by Logically Facts)

We found the viral video in a report published on the Brazilian news website Estadão in the late hours of October 5, ahead of the scheduled semi-final between Palmeiras and Boca Juniors on October 6. The semi-final was part of the Copa Libertadores - an annual international football competition. The article included other videos from the night and a screenshot from the viral video. It stated that fans traveled great distances and arrived at the stadium the night before the semi-final to show their support for Palmeiras.

Similarly, the Paraguayan website Crónica also published a similar report in the late hours of October 5 that also included a screenshot of the video, captioned: "The Palmeiras fans arriving at the stadium." (Translated to English)

News reports from October 5, 2023, with visuals from the viral video. (Source: Estadão/Crónica/Screenshots)

We geolocated the viral video, which appears to be filmed from a building overlooking the flyover on which people were marching. Using Google Earth, we traced the location of the video to the vicinity of Viaduto Pompéia, 2333, a viaduct or bridge that leads to the area near the Allianz Parque stadium in São Paulo. The video was filmed likely from one of the buildings next to the Estacionamento Bonelli Park under the bridge.

Comparison of visuals from the viral video and Google Earth, which proves the video is from Brazil, not France. (Source: Google Earth/X/Screenshots/Modified by Logically Facts)

Comparison of visuals from the viral video and Google Earth. (Source: Google Earth/X/Screenshots/Modified by Logically Facts)

The verdict

The viral video being shared as a pro-Palestine protest in France existed on the internet before the Israel-Hamas war started on October 7. It shows football fans marching towards the Allianz Parque stadium in São Paulo, Brazil, on the night of October 5. We have marked this claim as false as it does not show a protest supporting Palestine or Hamas.