A 37-second-long video went viral on social media platforms on July 10, showing a mob throwing flares and firebombs on the streets. It also shows vehicles and other objects being burnt down, in what looks like a violent protest.
Netizens quickly claimed that the chaotic scenes were from Paris after Morocco’s elimination from the ongoing FIFA World Cup, following its quarter-final defeat to France on Friday.
An X user named Razor Blade (@razorblade300) posted the clip, claiming “Morocco fans have taken to the streets of Paris after losing World Cup to France”. (Archive)
Another user, @MeghUpdates, posted the viral clip, claiming that “Moroccan migrants” were rioting in Paris after the World Cup defeat against France. The post had been reshared over 3,000 times. (Archive)
Several other users on X, including @ManakdeepSingh, @Doraharond, and @trhaber_com, among others also amplified the clip with similar claims. (Archives: 1, 2, 3)
Screenshots below:
Click to view slideshow.Fact Check
To verify the authenticity of the viral claim, first, Alt News ran relevant keyword searches to check if any instance of violence had been reported in the aftermath of Morocco’s elimination from the World Cup.
It was found that in London’s Edgware Road, a crowd was involved in violent confrontations with the police, having reportedly thrown bottles, and set off firecrackers. Four people were arrested in this matter.
🚨 WATCH: A riot breaks out in London after France eliminated Morocco from the World Cup pic.twitter.com/bw7NTRjbYR
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) July 9, 2026
Alt News could find no recent reports of violence in the streets of Paris.
Upon a deeper investigation, it was found that accounts of chaotic celebrations turning violent in the streets of Paris had been reported in late May, following Paris Saint-Germain’s victory against Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League final.
We found news reports from The Guardian, BBC, EuroNews, New York Times, and other reputed news outlets, which describe the unrest of May 30, thus corroborating this finding.
Click to view slideshow.After breaking down the viral video into keyframes, a reverse image search on one such keyframe led to this X post, uploaded on May 31 by (@elcancillercom). (Archive)
[AHORA] En el marco de los festejos por el título del PSG, en París agredieron a la policía con fuegos artificiales y proyectiles. https://t.co/a34eSnQJOR pic.twitter.com/hZckVJo6js
— ElCanciller.com (@elcancillercom) May 30, 2026
We noticed that the footage in this X post corresponds to the scenes shown in the viral clip, around the 0:02 timestamp.
This proves that the clip being circulated is not recent. We also noticed that the clip had The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) watermark in the top-right corner.
After running a relevant keyword search, we came across this video uploaded on the WSJ website on May 31.
This shows that the viral clip shows clashes on the streets of Paris between rioters and the police on May 30, following Paris Saint-Germain’s victory in the UEFA Champions League. It has no connection with the FIFA World Cup 2026.
In conclusion, the claims surrounding this viral clip, that Moroccan “fans” and “migrants” had orchestrated violent riots in the streets of Paris after the country’s World Cup exit, are false.
This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Prantik Ali.
Prantik Ali | Radio Free (2026-07-11T13:03:12+00:00) No, viral video does not show ‘migrant Moroccans’ rioting in Paris after World Cup defeat. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2026/07/11/no-viral-video-does-not-show-migrant-moroccans-rioting-in-paris-after-world-cup-defeat/
Please log in to upload a file.
There are no updates yet.
Click the Upload button above to add an update.