After the disputed results of Venezuela’s presidential election, fresh protests have erupted across the country. Thousands of people have assembled in various cities to demonstrate their opposition to President Nicolas Maduro’s claim of victory. One video making the rounds purportedly shows a large crowd causing a commotion on the road, supposedly from the ongoing protests. However, D-Intent Data has conducted an analysis, and it has been determined that the video is not recent; instead, it is an old video from 2017 Venezuela protests.
The Old video of Venezuela protests disseminated with misleading claims
Several users and influencers have shared the video of a massive crowd attending a protest march and creating a ruckus on the streets.
Sharing the video an account @rshereme on X (Formerly Twitter)has shared the video and wrote. Massive protests erupted in Venezuela after the pro-russian dictator Maduro has used his power to “paint a victory. The state media controlled by Maduro made up some numbers. Not even paying attention to the fact that a total number of votes added up to 109.2%. He later deleted the post.
Another account @officejjsmart has also shared the same video and wrote, The brave people of Venezuela are standing up to the disgusting dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro. Even tonight we might see the end of this evil regime. Later , he deleted the post.
Several other users and influencers have also disseminated the video and made similar claims. Their posts can be seen here @bozgabi, @YOUNGEST_KOT254
The truth about the viral video of Venezuela protests, Fact Check
As soon as the posts containing the video and claims came to our notice, we conducted research and found that the viral video was not recent but an old incident from 2017.
To verify the claims made by the users, we conducted a reverse image search of key frames from the viral video on Google. This search led us to a YouTube video that contains the same visuals. The video was uploaded in April 2017 and is titled “Venezuela – WhatsApp Video 2017 04 20”.
We discovered various reports (1, 2) about the 2017 Venezuelan protests that took place across the country. The protests began in January 2017 following the arrest of several opposition leaders. And the breakdown of dialogue between the opposition and Nicolás Maduro’s government.
Therefore, based on D-Intent Data’s Fact Check, the large crowd causing disturbance in the streets during a protest is not recent but rather an old video from 2017.
Intent
Social media users and influencers are circulating years-old videos with misleading claims to set their narrative over the unrest in Venezuela.
Conclusion
Claim- The video of a massive crowd attending protest events is from the ongoing protests in Venezuela.
Fact- This is an old video from April 2017. Nothing to do with the ongoing protests in Venezuela.
Related Article: Venezuelan Migrants Darien Gap: Unveiling Truth (dintentdata.com)
