Last updated on April 17th, 2026
Editor's Note
A social media post claiming to show “large-scale riots caused by Kurdish immigrants in France” was recently shared online. The video has received high numbers of views and engagement and has spread across multiple platforms. Its release coincides with the end of the French municipal elections on March 22, 2026, and the start of the 2027 presidential election campaign. Most comments on the video express anti-immigrant sentiment, while there are few attempts to verify the video’s source. Based on these observations, “Truth Hunter” has conducted a fact-check of the video.
Claim
On April 6, 2026, X user @HJB_News__ posted a video purporting to show scenes of destruction on the streets of France, including burning and vandalized vehicles and buildings. The accompanying caption read: “This isn’t Beirut or Tehran. This is Macron’s France. Images of the destruction caused by riots from Kurdish immigrants in France are making headlines around the world. This is a reality that the mainstream media isn’t reporting on. Why?” The post received over 1.2 million views and more than 63,000 interactions.
Fact Check
1. Official Statement Verification
A systematic search was conducted on the official websites of the French Ministry of the Interior (https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/) and the Paris Police Prefecture (https://www.prefecturedepolice.interieur.gouv.fr/) using the keywords “émeutes” (riots), “manifestation” (protests), “troubles à l’ordre public” (public order disturbances), and “violences urbaines” (urban violence). No official statement specifically addressing “riots caused by Kurdish immigrants in metropolitan France in 2026” was found.
2. Source Analysis
1）Video Source Tracing
A reverse image search of keyframes shows that the footage posted by @HJB_News__ closely matches, both in terms of visual elements and camera angles, videos posted by @RemyBuisine (December 24, 2022) and by then-Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu (@suleymansoylu, December 25, 2022).
2) Visual Element Comparison
The first 18 seconds (00:00–00:18) of the video posted by @HJB_News__ on April 6, 2026, are identical to the footage from 00:59 to 01:17 of the video posted by @suleymansoylu in 2022. This segment also matches the video posted by @RemyBuisine in 2022. Visual elements such as vehicles, bicycles, and surrounding buildings appear highly consistent across all three videos.
The final 17 seconds (00:18–00:35) of the video posted by user @HJB_News__ match the first 17 seconds (00:00–00:17) of the video posted by user @suleymansoylu. Visual elements appearing in this segment, including a young man holding a baton, a bus stop, and a yellow flag, are also highly consistent.
3) Actual Event Depicted in the Video
The video authentically documents protests and riots that broke out in the Kurdish community in Paris following a shooting incident in the French capital on December 23, 2022. Media outlets including the Guardian, the BBC, and Brazilian investigative journalism website O Antagonista all published extensive coverage of this event. The visual elements appearing in their coverage were also highly consistent with those found in the video posted by user @HJB_News__.
3. Actual Events in 2026
Protests involving Kurdish immigrants did occur in France in January 2026 — but not immediately before the April 6 post. These protests involved some clashes and received media coverage. However, a comparison shows that none of the actual footage from the January 2026 events contains any visual elements matching the overturned and burning vehicles as seen in @HJB_News__’s video.
4. Official Response
On April 7, 2026, “French Response,” the official counter-disinformation X account of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, confirmed that the circulating video was filmed back in 2022. Responding to a now-deleted post, the agency characterized the video’s spread on social media as “framing” rather than “evidence.”
5. Dissemination Analysis
The video was disseminated not only on X but also on other platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Threads. Users who participated in reposting included those with follower counts ranging between 10,000 to 800,000. Between April 5 and April 7, 2026, the video appeared intensively across these platforms, with many posts featuring captions that included the phrase “This isn’t Beirut or Tehran…”
6. Account Analysis
The X user @HJB_News__ registered their account in December 2023. Their account bio describes the user as a “Straight talking patriot, 35 years in media data solutions. Follow me on other platforms link tree,” and directs followers to a previous account (@HJB_News_), which currently has 4,460 followers and whose bio points to the new account. The account under review has 79,000 followers and holds a blue checkmark (verified) certification.
7. Comments Analysis
The post received over 1,700 replies. Comments related to immigration and multiculturalism constituted the largest proportion, followed by comments mentioning French President Emmanuel Macron and the French government. However, compared to the large volume of other comments, there were relatively few which questioned the video’s authenticity or engaged in any attempt to fact-check or verify the scenes shown.
1) Comments Related to Immigration and Multiculturalism – Typical Examples:
2) Comments Related to Islam/Immigrant Communities – Typical Examples:
3) Comments Related to Macron and the Government – Typical Examples:
4) Comments Expressing Doubt or Fact-Checking – Typical Examples:
Background
The French municipal elections were held on March 15 (first round) and March 22 (runoff) in 2026, covering approximately 35,000 communes nationwide, to elect mayors and local councilors. The overall turnout for the elections was recorded as being above 57%.
Following the results, Socialist Party candidate Emmanuel Grégoire was elected Mayor of Paris, succeeding Anne Hidalgo, also of the Socialist Party. At the same time, the far-right National Rally and its allies gained more seats in the elections.
Verdict
Out of Context.
Conclusion
Cross-verification confirms that the video posted by @HJB_News__, which claims to show “riots caused by Kurdish immigrants currently taking place in ‘Macron’s France’ in 2026,” is historical footage dating back to December 2022. The French government’s counter-disinformation agency, French Response, also confirmed this fact. This case is a typical example of “old video, new context” disinformation which has spread across multiple platforms. Users are advised to remain cautious when encountering dramatic or violent footage on social media, to verify events through multiple sources, and to prioritize information released by official authorities.
Have a questionable video or claim? Submit it to Fact Hunter’s investigation team at [therealfacthunter@outlook.com].
Primary Fact Checker: Lei Ting
Secondary Fact Checker: Liu Yantong
Refrence:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/24/paris-police-use-teargas-on-protesters-decrying-kurdish-centre-killings
https://oantagonista.com.br/mundo/protestos-em-paris-deixam-rastro-de-destruicao/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64086680
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1235252262082446
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1329745692531373
https://www.reutersconnect.com/item/kurdish-supporters-protest-paris/dGFnOnJldXRlcnMuY29tLDIwMjY6bmV3c21sX01UMVNJUEEwMDBaUVRBQ1g
https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20260122-kurds-in-syria-sacrificed-says-head-of-kurdish-institute-of-paris
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/04/08/old-paris-riot-footage-resurfaces-under-fake-claims
https://x.com/FrenchResponse/status/2041436198510465396
https://www.news.cn/world/20260323/2f4d39b5f2c14393a55b54c3dc1bfe9b/c.html
https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/actualites/communiques-de-presse/elections-municipales-et-communautaires-2026-bilan-chiffre-du-premier-et-du-second-tour
https://english.news.cn/20260323/c1fed9049eb0422c93b3dba903b20b45/c.html
https://www.paris.fr/en/pages/emmanuel-gregoire-officially-elected-mayor-of-paris-34424
https://www.zaobao.com/news/world/story20260323-8777403
