By: Ishita Goel
September 22 2023
Video of migrants dancing with an NGO group is unrelated to situation in Lampedusa
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X posts claiming that a charity group is dancing with immigrants in Lampedusa. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)
Fact-Check
The Verdict False
The video shows France-based charity group Care 4 Calais dancing with migrants. It is unrelated to the crisis in Lampedusa.
Claim ID 7512484e
The Italian island of Lampedusa is at the epicenter of a migration crisis, after more than 11,000 people, almost double the island’s population, landed on the island within six days. Associated Press reported that thousands of immigrants arrived by boat on the island's shores from Tunisia.
According to reports, the Italian Red Cross said on Saturday that it was dealing with about 2,500 people at a reception center designed for 400 arrivals. The crisis prompted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, to visit Lampedusa, after Italy’s prime minister called for help from the European Union.
What's the claim?
Since the event, a video of migrants dancing is circulating on social media. The video was shared on X with captions claiming the video shows African migrants dancing with aid workers in Lampedusa. A Facebook user shared the viral video and said, "#African #migrants film themselves on their iPhones dancing with European NGOs and aid workers in #Lampedusa, #Italy." Similarly, another X user posted the video and captioned it, "African migrants film themselves on their iPhones dancing with European NGOs and aid workers in Lampedusa, Italy. The media calls them refugees." Archives of the posts can be found here, here, and here.
Screenshots of viral posts. (Source: X/Screenshots/Modified by Logically Facts)
Details in the video
At the 0:36 mark of the viral video, a logo on the back of a woman’s jacket is visible, which reads "Care4Calais." Care4Calais is a volunteer-run refugee charity organization working with refugees in the U.K., France, and Belgium. The organization has no presence in Italy, including Lampedusa.
Comparing the logo from the viral video to the website of Care 4 Calais (Source: X/Website/Screenshots/Modified by Logically Facts)
A representative for Care4Calais told Logically Facts, “This is an old video from Calais and it's being used to spread misinformation by far-right and anonymous social media accounts.”
While explaining the context of the video, they added, “Care4Calais is a charity that delivers humanitarian aid to refugees in northern France. Whilst distributing that aid, our volunteers interact with refugees with kindness and compassion, often sitting down to share stories (some, as you can imagine, are very harrowing) and in this video, they are enjoying a dance.”
Through a reverse image search, we found that it was posted on X on August 25, 2023, by Britain First, a far-right political party in the U.K. We also found the video on YouTube, published on August 26. Both posts attributed the video to Care4Calais and it dates back to before the migration crisis in Lampedusa.
The verdict
The video shows immigrants dancing with a charity group in Calais, France, according to the organization seen in the video. The charity group has no presence in Lampedusa.