How to minimize the size of a citizen gathering to suggest that it brought together few people? Quite simply by putting forward figures revised downwards … as would have done BFMTV about the Parisian demonstration of July 17 against the health pass. At least if we believe a viral post on Facebook.
Illustrated with a photo in which a woman, perched on a roof, waves a French flag in front of a compact crowd on the Champs-Elysées, this publication claims to prove that the continuous news channel has underestimated the figures of this gathering. “They were barely 1,500 yesterday in Paris. The BFMTV freelance writer forgot two zeros on the teleprompter. Hahahahaha! », Ironically the text accompanying the cliché.
Except that this shot actually dates from 2018 … and that BFMTV has relayed the figures of the mobilization against the health pass communicated by the Minister of the Interior.
FAKE OFF
The photo visible in this Facebook post dates more precisely to July 15, 2018, the day of the coronation of the French football team against Croatia during the World Cup organized in Russia. It was taken from the top of the Arc de Triomphe by AFP photographer Ludovic Marin, and shows
jubilation supporters of the national team, as its caption indicates,
available on the site from the press agency.
On July 17, 2021, the 136 rallies organized throughout France against the health pass brought together nearly 114,000 people, including 18,000 in Paris and 96,000 in the provinces, according to the Ministry of the Interior. An accounting balance which BFMTV Paris took over at the start of the evening.
18,000 people demonstrated against the health pass in Paris this Saturday pic.twitter.com/0ZVIhlYssj
– BFM Paris (@BFMParis) July 17, 2021
The different videos live tours
within of the Parisian procession – including
those of BFMTV – also give a good overview of the large number of people present, which could seem more or less impressive depending on the angle of view or the width of the streets taken by the demonstrators.