A dramatic image showing protesters throwing fireworks and waving Palestinian flags at the foot of the Eiffel Tower is being shared online with claims that “France is approaching civil war” and “Paris has fallen”.
Although there is plenty of authentic footage of the damage caused by recent protests in France, including near the Eiffel Tower, this image is not real.
There have been mass protests across France since late September, led initially by students complaining about poor classroom and learning conditions. On 17 October, a national day of action backed by student groups, unions and the Yellow Vests movement led to several violent incidents and saw historical buildings like Limoges Town Hall largely destroyed by fire.
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How do we know the image isn’t real?
The image circulating online contains an invisible SynthID watermark, indicating it was made or edited with OpenAI tools such as ChatGPT, the OpenAI API or Codex. There are some visual inconsistencies too. Several people in the background seem to blend into each other and into the smoke.
We also traced the image to a satirical article published on 6 October, claiming that Palestinians have been given their own country within the borders of France.
During breaking news events it can be difficult to differentiate between authentic and fake images, or to know if an image has been shared in the right context. Our misinformation toolkit can help you check if an image is authentic before you share it.
