On August 31, a naval convoy named the ‘Global Sumud Flotilla’ began its journey from Barcelona, Spain, with the aim of breaking the Israeli blockade of Gaza and delivering humanitarian aid. Activists, journalists, and human rights workers from various countries participated in this mission. Subsequently, more ships also set sail for Gaza. In this context, a video has recently been circulated on social media claiming to show a scene of a protest in China in support of the flotilla.
See a post circulated on Facebook with this claim here (Archive).
As of the publication of this report, the aforementioned post circulated with the claim has been viewed more than 900,000 times and has received reactions from over 94,000 separate accounts.
Fact-check
The Rumor Scanner team’s investigation found that the circulated video is not of a protest in China supporting the flotilla. Instead, it is a video of a fireworks event in Nanchang, China, for China’s National Day on October 1.
A reverse image search of several keyframes from the viral video led to a video on the Facebook page of the Chinese state media outlet ‘China Xinhua News’ on October 3. A comparison between this video and the one circulated with the claim shows a match. The caption for the video states, “You’ve never seen crowd movement like this before. How to get 1.2 million people home safely after a fireworks show? This incredible scene was witnessed in Nanchang, China. ##Nanchang #China #NationalDay #FireworksShow”
The caption makes no mention of the flotilla for Palestine. This indicates that the circulated video is related to the fireworks event for China’s National Day.
The investigation also found the video in question being circulated on the YouTube channel of another China-based news outlet, ‘New China TV’, on October 3, with the claim of it being from the National Day fireworks event. The video of the incident was also seen posted on several other China-based social media accounts with the same claim.
Subsequently, a relevant keyword search led to a report published on the website of the China-based news outlet Tencent on October 4. At one point, the report states, “More than a million spectators enjoyed the fireworks, and the movement of the visitors was well-organized to ensure safety. On the evening of October 1, the National Day fireworks show was held in Nanchang city, Jiangxi Province, China. 5,000 drones and over 50,000 fireworks lit up the sky, attracting about 1.2 million citizens and tourists to the banks of the Gan River. Even more remarkable was the orderly and rapid departure of the spectators from across the city after the show, which was managed by public security and armed police members.”
Therefore, a video showing the scene of a fireworks event in Nanchang, China, for China’s National Day on October 1 has been circulated with the false claim that it is a video of a protest in China in support of the flotilla for Palestine; which is false.
Sources
- China Xinhua News – Facebook Post
- New China TV – YouTube Post
- Tencent – From competing in “hardware” to upgrading “software”, various scenic spots are “doting on customers” to enhance tourism comfort and experience
- Rumor Scanner’s analysis
