Video from Austin, Texas misrepresented as 'clashes in Los Angeles' during immigration protests
- Published on June 16, 2025 at 09:48
- 3 min read
- By AFP Middle East & North Africa
- Translation and adaptation Jeff LI , AFP Hong Kong
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"This scene looks very American!" reads part of the simplified Chinese caption to a Weibo video posted on June 10, 2025.
"We can experience the sweet freedom and democracy in the United States from the unrest in California and clashes in Los Angeles."
The video, which was viewed at least 17,000 times, shows security officers subduing a woman who had kicked out at them on a crowded street before police arrive on the scene.
The clip was shared after days of confrontations in the Los Angeles area, during which federal agents fired flash-bang grenades and tear gas toward crowds angry at the arrests of dozens of migrants in a city with a large Latino population (archived link).
US President Donald Trump ordered National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell the sometimes-violent protests against his immigration crackdown, a rare deployment against the state governor's wishes and of a kind not seen for decades according to US media.
In a statement published on June 9, China's consulate in Los Angeles told its citizens in the area to strengthen personal security (archived here and here).
"Chinese citizens in the region (should) strengthen personal security measures, stay away from gatherings, crowded areas, or places with poor public security, and avoid going out at night or travelling alone," the consulate said in a statement.
The circulating video was also shared in similar posts on Chinese video-sharing platform Bilibili, and content aggregator site NetEase.
But the video does not show clashes between law enforcement and protesters over immigration raids, nor was it filmed in Los Angeles.
Video from 2023
A reverse image search led to the same footage posted on January 2, 2023 on X and YouTube, where it was captioned, "Crazy fight New Year's 2023 6th Street Austin TX" (archived here and here).
A similar clip showing the same incident from another angle was posted on Facebook, with a caption also saying it was from "Austin 6th street" (archived link).
Shop fronts seen in the background of the false video match those visible on Google Street View imagery from East 6th Street in Texas' state capital, while the words "Austin Police" can be seen on the back of the officers' uniforms (archived link).
AFP has debunked a host of misinformation related to the Los Angeles protests here and here.
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