Video of protest against German political party passed off as support rally for Palestine

What’s the claim?

Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel-Hamas, people on social media are circulating a video of a huge rally with the claim that the protestors expressed support for Palestine. One post (archived here) on X (formerly Twitter)  that linked the video to Palestion had gained around 723,000 likes and 11,000 reposts at the time of publishing. Archived versions of similar posts can be viewed here and here.

Another X user shared the same video (archived here) with the caption that in Germany, a large number of people chanted “together against fascism” and “declared support for Palestine!”

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

What we found 

Upon conducting a reverse image search using keyframes from the viral video, we came across a report published by Leipziger Zeitung, a local news outlet from the Leipzig region of Germany, on January 16. The report carried images similar to the visuals seen in the viral video. According to the outlet, the images were captured at  Richard-Wagner-Platz, Leipzig during a demonstration against fascism and right-wing populism. The protestors had gathered for a demonstration against reported 'deportation plans' of the AfD (Alternative for Germany) party. 

The Leipziger Zeitung report. (Source: Leipziger Zeitung)

We also found a Facebook video that showed visuals similar to the viral clip. The Facebook video was uploaded by Leipzig Nimmt Platz, an organization that initiated the protest in question, on January 15. The German caption of the video, when, translated to English, read : “We are on the streets in Leipzig today with over 10,000 people! We clearly oppose the fascist deportation plans of the AfD and the Values ​​Union and against the social shift to the right! All together against fascism!.” The post clearly states that the protest was against ‘AfD’s deportation plans.’

AfD is a far-right populist German party that is under political heat and facing criticism after some of its members met neo-Nazis to discuss the deportation of asylum seekers and German citizens of foreign origin.

A translation of the slogans raised in the video showed us that the people participating in the protest were shouting, “Everyone must stand together against fascists” in German.

There is no mention of Palestine either in the slogans or in the news reports carrying visuals from the video.

According to a report in The Guardian, several protests against the AfD have been held across Germany this week after a report that two members of AfD party attended a meeting in Potsdam, Germany, to discuss plans to deport migrants and German citizens of foreign origin. The protesters have opposed the plans to “mass deport” citizens of foreign origin, and have called for the AfD to be banned, a Reuters report added. 

Reportedly, the demonstrations against the AfD occurred in Leipzig, Rostock, Essen, and Berlin, and the protests are ongoing. A recent invitation from Leipzig Nimmt Platz, posted on January 17, encouraged individuals to assemble at Market Square in Leipzig on January 21.

The verdict

The footage shows a protest against the German right-wing party AfD. Therefore, we mark this claim as misleading.