A video combining two clips is widely shared on social media, claiming that it’s the lighting of the Olympic torch from a church in Paris for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The video starts with a priest lighting a flare inside a cathedral, followed by fireworks outside.
The video is shared on Facebook with a caption: Lighting of the olympic torch, from a París church. Spectacular!
Here’s the link to the above post. (Archive)
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim, and found it to be FALSE.
Running the viral video keyframes through Reverse Image Search, the NM team found the first clip by Syracuse University Florence on YouTube, dated April 4, 2021, with a title: “The Scoppio del Carro, or Explosion of the Cart.” As per its description, it’s the Easter Sunday event in Piazza del Duomo, Florence, with origins dating back to the First Crusade.
Further investigation on the official Florence city website details this event. The “Brindellone”, a chariot of fire, is escorted by soldiers, musicians, and standard-bearers from the historical procession of the Florentine Republic. It is pulled by oxen from Piazza Prato to Piazza del Duomo, placed between the Baptistery and the Cathedral. As “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” is sung, the fuse of the columbine is lit, setting off fireworks on the float. The Florence Cathedral website corroborates this description.
The second part of the video, showing nighttime fireworks, matches visuals posted on TikTok in 2023 and on the Instagram page “Rammstein.boss,” claiming to be from a concert by the German band Rammstein. Similar fireworks were used during their 2023 EU concert, as confirmed by Rammstein’s official social media. The logo in the viral video matches the band’s logo.
The Olympic torch is traditionally lit in Olympia, Greece, at the site of the ancient Olympic Games. The flame is then passed to the first torchbearer, who relays it to the host city. Visuals of the 2024 Paris Olympics lighting ceremony can be seen on various official channels, showing a different event from the viral video.
Thus, it is confirmed that unrelated visuals have been erroneously shared as the lighting of the Olympic torch from the Paris church.
If you want to fact-check any story, WhatsApp it now on +91 11 7127 9799
Error: Contact form not found.
Click here for Latest Fact Checked News On NewsMobile WhatsApp Channel
