A video of a protest in London has been shared tens of thousands of times on Facebook alongside claims that the demonstration was organised in response to an August 2020 diplomatic agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. The claim is false; the footage in fact shows a protest in July 2018 against US President Donald Trump during his state visit to the UK.
The 30-second video has been viewed 14,000 times since it was published on Facebook here on August 17, 2020.
The footage shows a protester in a Trump mask leading other demonstrators dressed as Arab leaders by chain leashes.
The post's Urdu caption translates as: "Arabs are being ridiculed on the streets of London after UAE recognized Israel."
A screenshot taken on August 19, 2020, of the misleading Facebook post
The post circulated days after Trump announced the agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirate (UAE) on August 13, 2020.
The deal was widely praised by world leaders but rejected as a "betrayal" by the Palestinian leadership, as AFP reported.
The same protest video was shared alongside similar claims on Facebook here, here and here.
It was also published after the UAE-Israel deal was announced on Facebook here, here and here in posts that claimed the footage showed people in the US celebrating the "enslavement of Arabs."
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But the claims are false.
Reverse image searches on Google and Yandex using keyframes from the video found that footage shows demonstrators in London protesting during Trump's visit to the UK in July 2018.
AFP published a photo of the Trump and Arab impersonators here. The photo's caption reads: "Protesters against the UK visit of US President Donald Trump gather in Trafalgar Square after taking part in a march in London on July 13, 2018."
Protesters against the UK visit of US President Donald Trump gather in Trafalgar Square after taking part in a march in London on July 13, 2018. (AFP / Niklas Hallen)
The Middle East Eye, an online news portal, also published a photo of the demonstrators here on July 14, 2018.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the video in the misleading Facebook post (L) and the photo in the Middle East Eye report (R):
A screenshot comparison of the video in the misleading Facebook post (L) and the photo in the Middle East Eye report (R)
The exact location in London seen in the footage of the 2018 protest march can be viewed on Google Maps here.
Below is a comparison of screenshots of the video in the misleading Facebook post (L) and the Google Maps street (R) with a corresponding store sign circled in red:
Below is a comparison of screenshots of the video in the misleading Facebook post (L) and the Google Maps street (R) with a corresponding store sign circled in red
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This YouTube video posted on July 14, 2018 also shows the trio disguised as Trump and Arabs leaders at the 3:39 mark.
The video is entilted "Donald Trump Protest London" and has a caption that reads: "London march and protests send clear message to Trump: You're not welcome."
Below is a comparison of screenshots of the video in the misleading Facebook post (L) and the YouTube video (R):
A comparison of screenshots of the video in the misleading Facebook post (L) and the YouTube video (R )
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by BOOM staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)