Fact Check: Video shows soccer fans celebrating in Argentina, not 2021 protests in Cuba
A reverse search of a keyframe in the video revealed images related to the Obelisk
(Reuters) – A video of sports fans celebrating a soccer victory in Argentina has been miscaptioned to say it shows recent protests in Cuba.
An example can be seen here , in a post with more than 18,000 views with the caption: “Cuba fighting for their FREEDOM!!”
At around the 0:05 mark, the video shows multiple screens including one that shows the Mercedes-Benz logo. At the 0:10 mark, a tall monument illuminated with blue and white lights is visible. The crowd chanting and cars honking can be heard.
A reverse search of a keyframe in the video revealed images related to the Obelisk, a monument in Republic Square in Buenos Aires. The same obelisk can be seen in the social media and on Google street view (bit.ly/3xC9qX8).
Reuters was unable to independently source the video, but it appears to show a celebration for the victory of the Argentine team in the Copa America final on July 10, 2021, their first major title in 28 years (here).
A video published by TV Noticias captured the same celebration from another angle, where the Obelisk is illuminated blue and white, the colors of the Argentine flag here .
Video de la celebración en El Obelisco en Buenos Aires, Argentina, luego que el equipo argentino ganará 1 a 0 la Copa América. Video de JuanManuel (@asenjo88) #NoticiasTVN pic.twitter.com/2sU7uCXjZu
— TVN Noticias (@tvnnoticias) July 11, 2021
Another similar example is visible here . Reuters also captured images of the celebration in Republic Square here .
#AHORA En #Vivo desde el #Obelisco #argentinacampeon #CopaAmerica2021 #BuenosAires #Argentina #ObeliscoTV pic.twitter.com/VNUv9BAmDN
— OBELISCO.TV (@obeliscotv) July 11, 2021
Miles de argentinos celebran la conquista de la Copa América durante la pandemia del coronavirus #Argentina pic.twitter.com/Sx8jooh3AP
— Reuters Latam (@ReutersLatam) July 12, 2021
Thousands of Cubans demonstrated throughout the country on July 11 to protest a deep economic crisis that has seen shortages of basic goods and power outages. They were also protesting against the government s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and curbs on civil liberties (here).
Reuters coverage of the protests can be seen here and here . The protests are the biggest in decades on the Communist-run island in the Caribbean.
Chanting freedom and calling for President Miguel Diaz-Canel to step down, thousands of Cubans joined street protests from Havana to Santiago in the biggest anti-government demonstrations on the Communist-run island in decades https://t.co/zdokWqjHN3 pic.twitter.com/Q00uLgQu4m
— Reuters Pictures (@reuterspictures) July 12, 2021
Cuba blamed protests that took place over the weekend on U.S. ‘economic asphyxiation’ and detained some of the highest profile activists, while the Biden administration said it supported the Cuban people s right to demonstrate https://t.co/heaNWTvumd pic.twitter.com/PGUsdLdeg2
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 13, 2021
Reuters debunked similar misinformation about the Cuba protests here , here and here .
VERDICT
False. The video shows soccer fans celebrating a victory in Argentina, not protesters in Cuba.
