The images are presented as being recent and related to a demonstration in defence of the Palestinian people, but in the end they are 20 years old and have nothing to do with the conflict that intensified on 7 October.
An excerpt from a video lasting approximately one minute went viral on Facebook after several users associated it with a pro-Palestine protest. “A teenager in a Spanish stadium runs across the field with a sign in defense of Palestine,” is described in the caption accompanying the low-resolution recording.
The protester is also said to have been “chased by security guards, grabbed and beaten.” The report is corroborated by footage, which shows some of the four security guards holding the protester hitting the restrained man with what appears to be a baton as he lies on the ground. A general invasion of the camp then follows.
The first indications that the story attributed to the video may not correspond to reality are there, in the image and sound of the recording. The narration of the journalistic piece, in Portuguese, attributes the invasion of the countryside to a gesture of support from the fan towards the referee of the ongoing football match, José Fonseca. The old SIC Notícias logo, in the lower left corner of the recording, denounces that the incident report is not current.
By searching for fragments of images from the video, it is possible to identify its origin. It began to be shared on YouTube in 2009In the uncut television piece, you can hear the journalist’s account: “It was then that the security forces entered the camp. Outside the natural habitat, the four men dressed in black began to beat the one dressed in white.”
The football match in question did not take place in Spain, as stated on social networks, but in Switzerland and in 2004. “The referee for Benfica’s first match in the concentration (Étoile Carouge, on the 17th) has already been chosen : He is Portuguese, his name is José da Fonseca, he is 34 years old and he confesses to having ‘sympathy for FC Porto’,” Récord highlighted in July of that year.
Days later, the same newspaper reported that an “angry mob” had invaded the pitch to help a fan who was being attacked by security guards. The sign the fan was holding was also reported to have read: “Referee, the family is with you..”
“The man was running towards a goal when he was knocked down and thrown to the ground. Perhaps wounded, he reacted and the security guards, incomprehensibly, responded with batons,” is described in the report that recounts the subsequent invasion of the pitch: “The public noticed, began to whistle and it was a spectator wearing an FC Porto shirt who gave the slogan: he ran towards the security guards and jumped with his feet together. He did nothing but call for a pitch invasion and a pitched battle.”
Conclusion
The video that went viral on social media for allegedly showing a pro-Palestinian protester invading a football match is not current and does not represent a protest related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This is an excerpt from a SIC Notícias report from 2004, showing a fan being attacked by security at a football stadium in Switzerland after trying to show his support for the Portuguese referee officiating the match.
Thus, according to the Observer classification system, this content is:
MISTAKEN
In Facebook’s rating system, this content is:
FAKE: Major content claims are factually inaccurate. Generally, this option corresponds to “false” or “mostly false” ratings on fact-checking websites.
NOTE: This content was selected by Observador as part of a fact-checking partnership with Facebook.
Source: Observadora
