This man was arrested at a demonstration supporting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in January 2021
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on April 9, 2021 at 11:05
- 2 min read
- Translation and adaptation AFP Australia
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The video was published in this Instagram post on April 4, 2021.
“UK. First it was 2 weeks to flatten the curve, then wear a mask to save Grandpa, then wait till the vaccine, well now all of a sudden Grandpa is Vaccinated and getting arrested for not wearing a mask. This was never about a virus, time to RISE,” the caption reads.
The footage shows police officers detaining an elderly man, prompting an angry reaction from onlookers.
"He's 92 years old!" one man off-camera is heard shouting.
The footage was also shared here and here in April 2021 alongside similar claims.
However, posts are misleading.
A Google search of the keywords “elderly man arrested UK” led AFP to this YouTube clip posted on January 6, 2021 by Russian video news agency Ruptly.
“UK: '92-year-old' man arrested outside London court as Assange denied bail,” the title reads.
A further search on YouTube of the terms “92-year-old arrested Assange” led AFP to this Youtube video posted by news agency Storyful on January 6, 2021, which is a longer version of the video in the misleading social media posts.
“An elderly man was among seven people detained for breaching coronavirus restrictions outside a London court on Wednesday, January 6, as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was denied bail,” the video’s description reads.
“A crowd of Assange’s supporters reacted strongly when a 92-year-old man, identified as Eric Levy by Amnesty media manager Stefan Simanowitz, was arrested and taken away.”
Below is a screenshot comparison between the misleading post (L) and the Storyful YouTube video (R):
While footage of Levy’s arrest show he was not wearing a facemask, there is no indication that his detention was related to whether or not he had received a Covid-19 jab.
Health authorities recommend taking precautions such as wearing masks and social distancing even for people who have been fully vaccinated.
London’s Metropolitan Police said they detained 7 people at the protest, on the day Assange was denied bail, pending an US appeal against a block of his extradition which would see him face charges there, as AFP reported here.
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