Video doesn’t show 'terror' by Muslim refugees in New York

What’s the claim?

A video showing a large crowd of people taking to the streets and hurling empty plastic bottles, tins, and other objects at on-duty policemen has been widely shared on social media with a false communal claim. Sharing the video on the platform X (formerly Twitter), a user wrote, “US... Now the terror of refugee Muslims continues in New York as well.” The post dated August 5, archived here, has gained significant attention, with over 48k views and over 800 retweets so far. 

The video was also shared on Facebook with similar claims. Posts were shared in Hindi, which, when translated, read: “Now African Muslim refugees are pelting stones in New York.”

However, this is a false claim.

What’s the truth?

Looking at the video, we can see that the incident was recorded at Union Square Park in Manhattan, New York. At the timestamp 0:17 of the viral footage, we can see the entrance to the Union Square Subway Station. 

Taking this as a clue, we ran a search on X and found a compilation video that uses the viral clip between the timestamp 0:13 and 0:34. The caption states that the video shows a “riot” at Union Square during a giveaway event by popular Twitch influencer and YouTuber Kai Cenat. 

We also found similar videos of the event that show chaotic crowds rampaging on the streets. An Instagram user had also shared the same video on August 5, claiming that it happened when “Twitch streamer @kaicenat held a giveaway in Union Square.” 

What had happened?

On August 4, Cenat announced a giveaway event that spun out of control after thousands of people flocked the streets for free PlayStations. The mayhem sparked during the event forced police to take legal action against the social media influencer and charged him for “inciting a riot and unlawful assembly”. According to BBC, “Thousands of people rampaged through Union Square in anticipation of free PlayStation 5 devices, hurling bottles, stones and tins of paint.” More than 60 people were arrested. The report added that people had gathered after Cenat’s announcement that he would be giving away 300 Playstations.

Footage of the event, showing police struggling to disperse the unruly crowd, was aired on several news channels. Comparing these footages with the viral video, one can notice very similar visuals of crowds climbing on the structure at the entrance of the Union Square subway station in Manhattan.

The verdict

The video shows police attempting to disperse a chaotic crowd during a YouTuber’s giveaway event at Union Square park in Manhattan. The post falsely claims that it shows Muslim refugees causing “terror” in New York. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.