France 24 traces viral Europe protest videos to older and unrelated events
A 2017 march in Poland, military preparations in Portugal and footage from Argentina were circulated with misleading claims about current unrest in Europe.
France 24 reported on 26 October 2026 that three viral videos presented as evidence of recent unrest in Europe actually showed a 2017 march in Poland, military preparations in Porto, Portugal, and a protest in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The findings matter because the clips can give viewers a false picture of where demonstrations occurred and how authorities responded.
The fact-check, credited to Vedika Bahl, examined claims circulating alongside protests over school conditions and living costs. The Guardian separately reported that hundreds of thousands of people marched in French cities on 24 October against school underfunding, with concerns about living costs also part of the demonstrations. Those protests provide context for the misleading posts; they do not establish that any of the three videos showed the events claimed online.
What the Poland and Porto videos show
One clip had been viewed more than a million times on X and was described by social media users as showing millions of people at a recent protest in Poland. France 24 identified it as footage of the country’s annual Independence Day march that was already circulating in 2017. The outlet said the same footage had resurfaced with misleading captions over the years, including a claim that it showed unrest in France.
Another video showed military vehicles moving through Porto. Posts claimed Portugal had deployed troops against protesters, but France 24 identified the scene as preparations for Army Day, held from 20 to 25 October. The outlet said thousands of soldiers arrived for a programme of military events. It reported no credible account of the army being deployed to suppress the recent protests; police handled demonstrations, including those seeking more affordable housing.
That distinction matters because the protests and the military footage both involved Porto, but depicted different activity. France 24 reported that police dismantled housing protest camps in Porto and Lisbon on 25 October and arrested more than 30 people. It also found the military clip on TikTok with a different false caption claiming it showed French police deployed against protesters in France.
The flag video was filmed in Buenos Aires
A third post claimed to show protesters in Italy removing a US flag during a demonstration against rising fuel prices. France 24 said a reverse image search placed the footage in Buenos Aires in August. It showed a flag being removed from a hotel near Argentina’s National Congress during a protest linked to a law concerning private property, according to the outlet.
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Sources and context
- Truth or Fake - Protests in Europe: Fact-checking viral videos amid claims of 'chaos'France 24
- The chaos in France is a ‘warning signal’ for Australia’s public spending and rising costsThe Guardian
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.