Demonstrators stand next to the Banque de France office set on fire in Paris on November 28, 2020. ( AFP / Thomas COEX)

False posts misuse video that shows Bank of France on fire during Paris protests in 2020

This article is more than one year old.
Published on July 23, 2021 at 10:33
2 min read
By Taylor THOMPSON-FULLER, AFP Australia

A video has been viewed thousands of times in Facebook and Instagram posts that claim it shows a "Rothchild [sic] bank set on fire in France" -- a reference to the prominent Rothschild banking dynasty. But this claim is false: the footage actually shows a Bank of France building which was set alight during November 2020 protests in Paris. Bank of France is the central bank of France and is not owned by the Rothschild family, a spokesperson told AFP.

"Rothchild [sic] bank set on fire France," reads the text overlay of a video shared by an Australian Facebook user here on July 17, 2021.

The video has been viewed over 4,000 times since.

A screenshot of the video, taken July 19, 2021.

The Rothschild family is a prominent banking dynasty in Europe that has been the subject of long-running anti-semitic conspiracy theories.

An identical video has also been shared alongside a similar claim here and here on Instagram; and here on Facebook.

The claim, however, is false.

Keyword searches online found the video corresponds to the 3:29:00 mark of this livestream footage posted on November 28, 2020 by Sputnik News, a Russian state-owned media.

"Protests Against ‘Global Security' Bill Continue in Paris," reads the caption to the original footage.

At the 03:26:27 mark of the original footage, the logo of Bank of France -- the central bank of France -- and a plaque that states "Place De La Bastille" could be seen.

The building corresponds to this Bank of France location on Google Street View.

Below is a set of screenshot comparisons showing the video in the misleading posts (L) and the footage streamed live by Sputnik News (R):

Screenshots of the misleading video posted to Facebook (L) and the Sputnik News footage (R).

The footage also corresponds to this AFP video report on November 29, 2020.

Violent clashes erupted in Paris as tens of thousands took to the streets to protest against new security legislation, with tensions intensified by the police beating and racial abuse of a black man, AFP reported at the time.

Responding to the misleading posts, a spokesperson told AFP the Bank of France was "not a Rothschild bank".

“The Banque de France is a member of the Eurosystem, which groups together the European Central Bank and the national central banks of all countries that have adopted the euro," the spokesperson said.

"The Bank is a sui generis public entity governed by the French Monetary and Financial Code."

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