Fact-Check: Video Shows a Burning Building in UAE, Not France

The video is from a fire accident that took place on 27 June in Ajman, UAE

The video is from a fire accident in Ajman, UAE. 

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

A video showing the burning of a tower is going viral as one from France, in light of the recent protests following the death of a 17-year-old teenager allegedly at the hands of the police in the country.

What are the users saying?: The claim read that rioters belonging to the Muslim community looted shops and torched buildings. It compared the burning tower to the 9/11 attacks in the United States of America (USA).

An archive of the claim can be found here. 

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

What is the truth?: The video is from Ajman, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and not from France.

• The incident occurred in the early hours of 27 June.

• According to news reports, Tower O2 in Ajman One Towers had caught fire.

How did we find out?: We extracted the keyframes of the video using InVID and thereafter, ran a reverse Google image search.

• We came across news reports from Gulf News and Khaleej Times that described the fire accident in Ajman, UAE.

• According to Khaleej Times, the incident took place in the "wee hours of Tuesday" that is, 27 June.

• The news report also included a post by the Ajman Police. It was the video that matched the frames of the viral video.

• The Gulf News report stated that the Commander-in-Chief of the Ajman Police said, "Five people sustained minor injuries and they were treated at the site. A pregnant woman was rushed to Shaikh Khalifa Hospital as she suffered from dyspnea."

The comparison between the viral video and the Ajman Police Video showed similarities. 

France Protests 2023: Protests broke out in France after the death of Nahel, a 17-year-old teenager who was allegedly killed at the hands of the police for driving a car without a license.

• The protestors have been clashing with the police, burning and dismantling public property and cars.

• The French police have made multiple arrests.

• President Emmanuel Macron has expressed his solidarity against the death of the teenager and condemned the harm to public property.

Conclusion: The video is being falsely shared as one from France when it actually shows the burning of a residential tower in Ajman, UAE.

Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)