Old video from the Netherlands falsely linked to current U.K. riots

What’s the claim?

A video is being shared on social media alleging that it depicts U.K. police pursuing an old man in a wheelchair, dressed in a black and white shirt, amid the current riots in the country.

A post on X (formerly Twitter) claimed, “Police move in quickly to quash one of the “100 Far Right” riots that didn’t happen in the UK last night.” The post had over 850,000 views and over 2,400 reposts at the time of writing this story. An archived version of the post can be found here.

Screenshot of claims made online. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the video is from the Netherlands and dates back to 2022.

What we found

Through reverse image search, Logically Facts traced the video to a report by U.K. news outlet Daily Star, published on June 9, 2022. According to the report, the incident occurred in the Dutch neighborhood of Maassluisstraat, in Amsterdam.

The report stated that the video depicted a 64-year-old pensioner escaping from the police on a mobility scooter. The pensioner was brandishing a knife and was eventually arrested by the police during the chase.

A similar video from a different angle was shared by Amsterdam's local TV station AT5, on June 8, 2022, on YouTube (archived here). The description stated that the 64-year-old man was tasered by the police after refusing to stop while armed with a knife. Despite using pepper spray, the man continued to pose a threat, leading officers to use a taser. He was then handcuffed and taken to the police station.

All the evidence suggests that an old video has been falsely linked to the U.K. riots.

What is happening in the UK?

Far-right riots and anti-immigrant violence have been taking place in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland since July 30, 2024. These riots were sparked by a mass stabbing in Southport on July 29, 2024, where three children were killed. According to CNN, hundreds of people have been arrested so far, and around 6,000 specialist officers have been mobilized. Misinformation has played a major role in exacerbating the riots, and you can read more about it in this Logically Facts’ analysis.

The verdict

A 2022 video from the Netherlands has been shared with the false claim that it shows recent visuals from the ongoing U.K. riots.