Video shows Canadian volunteer firefighters, not arsonists

"Parasite World Order minions are burning down Canada," says the caption of a video tweeted June 28, 2023, which depicts people running away from a large fire.

The post received more than 3,100 likes and 2,200 retweets. Different Twitter users posted the same footage with similar captions and received thousands of additional interactions.

"Crazy Leftists Are Burning Down Canada," says the caption of a June 26 tweet with the same video.

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Screenshot of a tweet taken June 30, 2023

Similar claims circulated on Gab, a social media platform catering to conservatives.

One of the earliest versions of the video with a caption mentioning "World Order minions" is a June 25 Telegram post from David Wolfe, an American author and raw food advocate who has previously promoted misinformation.

The clip features the handle for Leo Urban, a French social media personality who posts about environmental issues and Parkour.

Urban said in the caption of a June 25 Instagram post (archived here) that the video does not depict arson, but rather volunteer firefighting operations conducted by members of the Opitciwan community of the Atikamekw Nation near the village of Obedjiwan, Quebec.

"I happened to run into the chief of the village who told me how they were fighting the wildfires," Urban told AFP in an email. "I asked him if it would be possible to accompany them on the ground."

Urban's spokeswoman, Louise Vigouroux, said he was in Canada filming for a Canal+ documentary about environmental issues in different locations around the world. He was in Quebec to learn about the preservation of caribou but said he was close to wildfires and wanted to help the Atikamekw fight the flames.

"The trees were cut and water wasn't doing anything," Urban said. "Women were crying and praying and men raised their hands symbolically towards the flames while speaking their language as a last hope but we had to evacuate."

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Screenshot of a tweet taken June 30, 2023

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Screenshot of Leo Urban's original Instagram post taken June 30, 2023

 

He said Obedjiwan is very remote, with only one accessible road. The provincial fire agency had not been able to reach the community as they focused on other fires, but Atikamekw volunteers have reportedly been collaborating with French firefighters who have come to Canada to aid in the effort.

Local media have covered the Opticiwan volunteer firefighting efforts. Images of people fleeing the flames (archived here) are similar to the scene in Urban's Instagram video. Reinforcements from provincial firefighters have since arrived in Opticiwan.

Wildfire misinformation

Since the start of Canada's historic wildfire season, AFP has debunked several claims that the flames were set intentionally for various insidious purposes.

Specifically in Quebec, social media users claimed the near-simultaneous start of many intense blazes indicated the fires were part of some sort of attack. But the Quebec Forest Fire Protection Agency told AFP the phenomenon was due to lightning strikes that ignited wildfires around the same time.

Many conspiracy theories promote climate change denial, sometimes invoking the idea that "ecoterrorists" started the blazes to push for an environmental agenda or government-imposed "climate lockdowns."

However, scientists and officials have told AFP that hot, dry weather exacerbated by climate change is making wildfire season worse.

As of June 30, Natural Resources Canada has reported more than eight million hectares (about 19 million acres) have been burned -- a record for the country in a single season.

Read more of AFP's reporting on misinformation in Canada here.