Footage does not show religious demonstrations against Paris Olympics opening ceremony
- Published on August 19, 2024 at 10:56
- Updated on August 19, 2024 at 10:58
- 4 min read
- By AFP Indonesia
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"Thousands of Christians and Catholics took to the streets in New York City and prayed together in France as a response to the 'ritual' of the French Olympics opening, which is considered offensive to Jesus and Christian symbols," read the Indonesian-language text in a video compilation shared on Facebook on July 29.
It has been viewed more than 411,000 times.
The first clip shows people dressed as nuns and bishops participating in a parade on a street, while the second features a large crowd holding candles in an outdoor area.
It circulated following criticism of the Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony from some Catholic groups and French bishops (archived link).
The Vatican meanwhile said it was "saddened by certain scenes" that gave "offence" to Christians (archived link).
The show included a scene featuring dancers and drag queens that some said was reminiscent of depictions of the Last Supper, the final meal Jesus Christ is said to have shared with his apostles.
Although organisers have said they intended to portray a pagan feast led by the Greek god of wine, Dionysus, that explanation has not dulled the criticism.
The video was shared alongside a similar false claim on Facebook here and here.
In reality, it shows clips of religious celebrations held before the Paris Olympics.
Religious procession
A reverse image search of the keyframe of the first clip on Google found a similar video published on TikTok and Instagram on October 12, 2023, by the Napa Institute -- a US-based Catholic community (archived links here here, and here).
"5,000 witnesses to the true presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist in the streets of New York City during rush hour. Powerful!" read the caption on both posts.
According to the group's website, the annual tradition sees believers walking to St. Patrick's Cathedral through New York City (archived here).
Below is a screenshot comparison between the false post (left) and the clip from the Instagram account for The Napa Institute (right):
Google Maps Street View imagery matches the landmarks in the video, including the Major League Baseball (MLB) merchandise store and the Radio City Music Hall (archived here).
Below is a screenshot comparison of the original video (left) and the Google Maps Street View (right):
Further reverse image and keyword searches found the second clip posted on the official account of the Notre Dame de Lourdes shrine on social media platform X on August 14, 2022 (archived here).
"Happy Assumption Day to all. In union of prayer with all the Catholics of the world. May the Virgin Mary shine in your hearts", read the French caption.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the false post (left) and the official X account of Notre Dame de Lourdes (right):
An August 15, 2022 French article also includes a screenshot of the video (archived here). The headline translates to: "Lourdes: Thousands of Pilgrims Celebrate the Assumption."
Every year, the town of Lourdes in the Hautes-Pyrénées celebrates the Assumption, a Christian religious feast marking the ascension of Mary, mother of Jesus, to Heaven.
AFP previously debunked similar claims about the second clip here.
Read other fact checks about the Paris Olympics here.
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