International

Does this video show the burning of Alcazar library in France?

The viral video shows a massive fire at the Manila central post office in Philippines.  It does not show the Alcazar library in France.

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 a massive fire at a library is being shared on social media with the claim that it shows the Alcazar Library in France that was torched by African migrants.

The caption of the viral video states, “While you’re enjoying your small view of YOUR personal world, the rest of it has some shyt happenin’. C/P “The Alcazar Library in Marseille is the largest library in France, containing an archive of one million historically significant documents. African migrants just TORCHED it.”  

Facebook Post | Archive Link 

Fact Check- 

We started investigation by running a keyword search on Google, to find relevant news report on the burning of the Alcazar Library in France. From the results, we found that CNN and France 24 had reported about libraries being damaged in Marseille. The report stated that there was an explosion in the Old Port of Marseille according to CNN affiliate BFMTV, but no casualties were reported. The broadcaster also shared video showing damage to the Alcazar library in Marseille which it said had been vandalized during the night.

Keeping this in mind, we ran a reverse image search on Google on one of the keyframes from the viral video. The results us to the same video published by the Guardian News on 22 May 2023. The headline of the video stated, “Huge fire rips through historic post office building in Manila.” A massive fire tore through a historic post office building in the Philippines capital, Manila, overnight.

According to the South China Morning Post, a massive fire broke out in the Philippine capital Manila just before midnight on May 21, 2023, destroying the country’s oldest post office. Dozens of firefighters battled for hours to bring the blaze under control.

According to Philstar and Gulf News, a massive fire hit the Manila Central Post Office in Liwasang Bonifacio. The Manila Central Post Office is the headquarters of the government-owned and controlled Philippine Postal Corp. The main mail sorting and distribution operations of the country are also housed at the Post Office. Construction on the neoclassical building designed by renowned Filipino architects Juan Arellano and Tomás Mapúa began in 1926. 

Below you can see the similarity between the screen grab form the viral video and a screen grab from the news report published by the Guardian News.

Next, we searched for the Alcazar Library in Marseille, France on Google Maps. The images makes it very clear that the viral video does not show the Alcazar Library in France. 

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral video to be False. The video does not show Africans migrants torching the Alcazar library in Marseille, France. The viral video shows an incident from May 2023 showing a massive fire at the Manila central post office in Philippines.

Title:Does this video show the burning of Alcazar library in France?

Written By: Drabanti Ghosh

Result: False

Drabanti Ghosh

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