Old video of Argentina fans celebrating World Cup win passed off as recent protests in Venezuela

What is the claim?

An aerial shot of a vast crowd occupying the streets is being shared on social media to claim it shows protests against President Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. 

A user on X (formerly Twitter) shared the clip (archived here) with the caption, "This is what the streets of Caracas looked like this Tuesday, the second consecutive day of marches and protests against Nicolás Maduro, who intends to remain in power for six more years. The eyes of the world and its solidarity are on the situation that Venezuelans are experiencing." Archived versions of similar posts are here and here.

The video was also shared on Facebook, where a user (archived here) stated, "BREAKING WOW! An aerial view of the citizen assembly called today by Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado." An archived version of another post making this claim is here.

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

However, we found that the video is from 2022, and it shows Argentinian fans celebrating in Buenos Aires. 

What we found

A reverse image search led us to a video in a report by Spanish outlet Football Espana dated December 20, 2022. According to the report, the video shows a party in the streets of Buenos Aires celebrating Argentina's first World Cup victory since 1986. Football Espana also shared the video on its official X account (archived here) in 2022.

The video was also shared by ESPN FC's official X account (archived here) on December 20, 2022. The post's caption reads: "The same amount of people as the entire population of Croatia are reportedly in Buenos Aires right now."

Global News, a Canadian news network, also shared a video with visuals similar to the viral clip but shot from a different angle. The December 20, 2022 report is titled, "Millions fill the streets of Buenos Aires as Argentina holds a national holiday for World Cup celebrations."

The unrest in Venezuela

Following the announcement of the presidential election results in Caracas on July 29, 2024, Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro faced increasing criticism amid protests that erupted in response to the election results, which many view as controversial or disputed. Demonstrators demand new elections, expressing their frustration with what they perceive as electoral fraud and undemocratic practices. At least 11 people have been killed in the protests so far. 

The verdict

A 2022 video of fans in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was misrepresented as protesters storming the streets during a recent demonstration in Venezuela.