Video doesn't show Paris 'protest' against 2024 Olympics opening ceremony

What is the claim? 

Multiple social media users have posted a video of a massive crowd singing hymns and holding torch lights at night with the claim that Christians in France are protesting against the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, alleging that it was "demonic."

A post from an X, formerly Twitter, account claimed that the demonstration was a reaction to the "moral and religious abuse" allegedly displayed during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics on July 26, 2024. This post is archived here.

Similarly, one Facebook user posted the viral video and wrote, "Christians in Paris took to the streets to protest the use of satanic symbols and mocking of Jesus Christ during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics." The archives of this and other posts can be found here, here, here, here, and here.

Screenshots of the viral video with a similar claim (Source: Facebook/Instagram/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the video does not show a "protest" against the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics but a gathering to mark Assumption Day in Lourdes, France, in 2022.

What are the facts? 

A reverse image search on one of the viral video's keyframes led us to several similar videos posted in August 2022. 

One such video, where people can be heard singing Ave Maria, was posted on the official Facebook page (archived here) and X (archived here) account of "Sanctuaire Notre-Dame de Lourdes," a Catholic Church, on August 15, 2022. The video is accompanied by a caption stating, "Beautiful and happy Feast of the Assumption to all. In the union of prayer with all Catholics of the world. May the Virgin Mary shine in your hearts." (Translated from French). The post also included the location of the video, The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, recognized as one of the largest pilgrimage sites in the world. 

Screenshot of the original video posted on August 15, 2022. (Source: Facebook/X/Modified by Logically Facts) 

The video's caption indicates that the gathering in Lourdes was held to observe the Feast of the Assumption, a Catholic feast day celebrated annually on August 15 in many countries, particularly in parts of Europe and South America. According to a report by the Catholic News Agency, this solemnity commemorates the end of the Virgin Mary's earthly life and her assumption into heaven.

We were also able to find similar videos posted on Facebook by an online media outlet, Shalom World News, and a page related to a church in India's Kerala (archived here and here), stating that the video showed people singing Ave Maria at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France on the eve of the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

We also found a report published by the French radio website Centpourcent that featured a similar screenshot of the gathering video. The article was titled "Lourdes: Thousands of pilgrims celebrate the Assumption," and the image was credited to the X account of the Sanctuary of Lourdes. (Translated from French)

The article indicated that approximately 15,000 pilgrims gathered at the Lourdes sanctuary on the eve of the Assumption to participate in a torchlight procession and recite the Hail Mary prayer.

With the help of Google Maps, we could geolocate the exact place depicted in the viral video. We identified key visual landmarks like the centrally placed "Statue de la Vierge couronnée de Lourdes" and the building on the right side with a sloped roof.

 A comparison between the Google images and the viral video (Source: Google Maps/X/Modified by Logically Facts)

The 2024 Olympics opening ceremony 

The 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony featured performers, including drag artists and a DJ, arranged in a manner that some interpreted as a mockery of The Last Supper. It drew criticism from various Christian and Catholic organizations globally, including from within France, who alleged that it irreverently depicted Leonardo da Vinci's renowned painting portraying Jesus Christ's final supper with his 12 apostles, where he foretold one of them would betray him.

The organizers of the Paris Olympics have since apologized to the people offended during the opening ceremony. Paris 2024 Olympics spokesperson, Anne Descamps told a news conference (archived here) on Sunday, "There was clearly never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group." Thomas Jolly, the director of the opening ceremony, told BFMTV the mural wasn't the inspiration for the scene.

The verdict 

The video was filmed in August 2022, ahead of the Catholic celebration of the Feast of the Assumption in Lourdes, France, and is unrelated to the 2024 Paris Olympics. It has been falsely shared with a link to the ongoing Games.