2018 video of rioters robbing Apple store shared as recent incident from France.

The video shows an incident of robbery at the Apple store in Bordeaux, France in 2018. However, it is true that there are reports of Apple store looting in France recently.

A series of civil disturbances in France began on 27 June 2023 following the killing of Nahel Merzouk by a police officer. In Nanterre, residents started a protest outside the police headquarters on 27 June, which later escalated into rioting as demonstrators set cars alight, destroyed bus stops, and shot fireworks at police.

Amidst this, social media witnessed several unrelated videos claiming to show riots and unrest in France. One such video showing people looting an Apple store is widely circulating on social media. Sharing this video, users claim that this video shows rioters looting Apple store in France.

The caption of the viral video states, “Rioters looting of an #Apple store in France. #Paris #FranceRiots #FranceProtests #France.”

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Fact Check-

We started our investigation by breaking the video into small key frames with the help of Invid We Verify tool and ran a Google reverse image search on the same. The results of this search led us to the same video published by a Youtuber in 2018 which make it clear that the video is not a recent one.

Keeping this in mind, a keyword search led us to the same video published by Le Huffington Post on 9 December 2018. This video shows the looting of Apple store in Bordeaux during the excesses (Act IV of the #giletsjaunes) of yellow vests. The video was shot on 8 December 2018 in Rue Sainte Catherine, Bordeaux, France.

Keeping this in mind, we ran a keyword search on Google, which led us to a report by NPR published on December 2018. As part of his environmental policy strategy, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a green tax on fuel on January 2018. The move set off nearly a month of protests around France. Nicknamed for the safety vests worn by protesters, known as gilets jaunes, the yellow vest movement had sparked a political crisis for the French government. Originally, the yellow vest protesters were people from rural areas who have to drive long distances as part of their daily life. They said they couldn't afford the hike in fuel prices. Protests appeared in pockets around France to denounce Macron's green tax and then quickly grew into a larger movement that includes members of the working and middle classes who are expressing their frustration about slipping standards of living. They say their incomes are too high to qualify for social welfare benefits but too low to make ends meet.

Thus, it is clear that the viral video is 4 years old and has no relation with the recent violence in France.

Was there any recent incident of Apple Store robbery in France?

According to the Independent, rioters attacked an Apple store in Strasbourg, France, on Friday (June 30) after a 17-year-old of Algerian and Moroccan descent was shot by a police officer in the Nanterre suburb of Paris. This video from La Presse Libre shows people throwing stones and breaking into the shop. It comes as unrest has flared nationwide for four consecutive nights after the death of the teenager, who has been named as Nahel Merzouk, which was caught on video.

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral video to be Partly False. The video shows an incident of robbery at the Apple store in Bordeaux, France in December, 2018. The video does not show recent protest in France after a police officer shot a teenage boy. However, it is true that there have been incidents reported where protestors were captured looting Apple stores in France.