This Video Does Not Feature French Police Beating a Woman Amidst Recent Riots
The Claim
A video shows French police violently beating a woman during the recent waves of riots.
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Emerging story
During the recent riots sparked by Nahel's killing, a video circulated on social media allegedly features French police violently beating a woman.
“French Police at it again, this time beating a woman who wasn’t complying to commands. Sick thugs!” a user tweeted.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating video and found the claim to be misleading.
Following an extensive reverse image search, Misbar's team found that the circulating video is actually older than claimed and unrelated to the current unrest.
Video of the Police Beating a Woman is From Italy
The video shows Italian police officers assaulting a transgender woman in the city of Milan, Italy, in May 2023.
A Twitter user published the video on May 24 under the translated caption, "The scene of an arrest by agents of the Milan local police of a woman who, in order to be handcuffed, is violently hit, probably in the Bocconi area, with batons and kicks."
Media outlets also reported the incident and featured the video at the time.
According to media outlets, police officers assaulted a transgender individual from Brazil using batons and pepper spray in Milan, Italy.
France’s Recent Riots
The recent wave of riots in France has subsided. This indicates a decrease in the scale of unrest that had swept through impoverished suburbs in France following a fatal police shooting the previous week.
The incident involved the death of Nahel M., a teenager of North African descent, on June 27, resulting from gunfire by a police officer in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre. This incident sparked a significant surge of anger among the population.
The aftermath saw several nights of widespread rioting across the country and a strong response from law enforcement.
The prominent French business association, MEDEF, has reported that the financial damages caused by the riots have exceeded €1 billion ($1.1 billion).
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