A video claiming to show recent Paris riots is circulating online, garnering millions of views and shares. Posts on X (formerly Twitter) falsely suggest the footage depicts current unrest in the French capital and question the lack of media coverage.
These misleading posts have been amplified by fringe news outlets, comparing the scenes to conflict zones and blaming French President Emmanuel Macron. However, the video is not recent; it dates back to December 2022.
A reverse image search confirms the footage depicts protests following a deadly shooting that targeted the Kurdish community. The attack, which left three dead and others wounded, was deemed a racially motivated hate crime by French authorities. The confessed perpetrator cited a "pathological hatred" of foreigners.
The case was referred to criminal courts in July 2025, focusing on racist motives rather than terrorism. Protests erupted after the government downplayed terrorism as a motive, leading to clashes with police, car burnings, and arrests.
The 2022 shooting occurred shortly before the 10th anniversary of another unsolved murder of three Kurdish activists in Paris in 2013. A new probe into potential Turkish agent involvement was launched in 2019.
French Response, an anti-disinformation unit of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has confirmed the video is from 2022 and denounced its current circulation as deceptive framing.