Prank video shared as ‘Muslim migrant in Holland’ urinating on pork in a supermarket

What's the claim?

Social media users are circulating a video with the false claim that it shows a Muslim immigrant urinating in the pork section of a Dutch supermarket. 

In the clip, a man is seen facing away from the camera and leaning over the meat section in a manner that suggests urination. At the end of the video someone off-camera says, "We don't eat pork. We don't eat pork."

One Facebook account shared the video with the caption, "Muslim migrant in Holland urinates on the pork section of the supermarket as another film, declaring 'we don't eat pork.'"

Screenshot of a Facebook post. (Source: Facebook/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

Britain First party leader Paul Golding and internet personality Oli London also shared the video and claim. Their respective posts garnered significant attention, with Golding's post amassing 1.1 million views and London's post reaching 3.2 million views. Archives of the posts can be found here and here.

Screenshot of X posts. (Source: X/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the footage is from a prank video by Dutch content creator Danny Derix and not a genuine incident.

What did we find?

The widely circulated video was initially posted by Derix, recognized across various platforms with the handle ''buurtwachtt,'' which translates to "neighborhood watch" in English. 

On December 14, 2023, Derix posted the video on Instagram with overlaid text that read "Waar is beveiliging van de Albert Heijn?" (Where is Albert Heijn security?), accompanied by two laughing emojis. Albert Heijn, commonly known as AH, is a prominent supermarket chain in the Netherlands. 

Source: Instagram

The post’s Dutch caption, when translated to English, reads, "You can also go too far..." accompanied by the hashtags #bwnation, #buurtwacht, and tagged Albert Heijn supermarkets. The original post does not mention the involvement of a Muslim immigrant in the video or its caption. The only reference was made by the speaker off-camera stating, "We don't eat pork." Pork is a prohibited food in Islam.

Logically Facts contacted Albert Heijn to inquire about any incidents involving an individual urinating on the pork section in their stores. In response, Angela Stoelinga, the Media Relations Intern at Albert Heijn stated, "We have undertaken internal investigations on this matter and have not received any reports of disturbance from our stores."

On December 20, in a follow-up video, Derix addressed the viral clip, clarifying that it was a prank. The video was titled "IK HIELD HEEL DE WERELD VOOR DE GEK..." ("I Fooled the Whole World...").

Source: YouTube

A translation of the transcript of the video shows that Derix addresses the viral claim, characterizing it as "a prank to play tricks on the world," and intended to "make it clear how easy it is to spread fake news or a fake video." Further, Derix denies using a water bottle to feign urination and says he added sound effects recorded on his iPhone at home.

Other similar videos by the creator

Derix shared two other similar Instagram reels on December 11 and 13 showing a person seemingly urinating. Just like in the viral video, there is no visible urine in these videos, and the person's back is facing the camera.

The person in these reels is wearing the same outfit as seen in the viral video, a dark blue jacket, a grey hoodie, and black sweatpants featuring a distinctive white mark.

Comparison of the viral video and other Instagram posts on December 11 and 13 by Danny Derix. (Source: Instagram/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

What did Derix say?

On December 20, 2023, when contacted by AFP via Instagram, Derix confirmed that he was the video's creator but not the individual seen in the clip. He further said that the person shown in the footage did not actually urinate on the packaged meat; rather, it was part of a series of pranks he had orchestrated.

Derix told AFP, "The person you see in the video is my friend. It was recorded on December 13, 2023, in the Netherlands, in a supermarket (Albert Heijn XL) in the town of Zaandam. The video is completely faked.” He added, "I used a sound effect of a pee noise and added it to the original video. My goal was to show the world how 'It's easy to create false information and pass it off as truth.'”

A representative from @buurtwachtt told Snopes that while the man featured in the clip is Muslim, he is not classified as an immigrant.

Logically Facts has also reached out to Derix. This fact check will be updated if and when we receive a reply.

The verdict

A prank video made by a Dutch content creator has been shared with a false narrative, claiming that it depicts a Muslim immigrant urinating in the pork section of a supermarket in the Netherlands. We have therefore marked the claim as false.