Video does not show Australian police pushing man out of his wheelchair
Video does not show Australian police pushing man out of his wheelchair
(Reuters) - A video of a clash between a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protester and police officers in Los Angeles in 2020 has been miscaptioned online, with users claiming the incident happened during a protest against COVID-19 restrictions in Australia.
“Australia anti-lockdown protest ~ Cops fighting a disabled man and smashing his wheelchair. The Lowest of the Low,” reads a tweet with the clip ( here ).
The video, however, traces back to Los Angeles in July 2020, as the United States saw its biggest protests for racial justice and civil rights in a generation ( here ).
Around timestamp 00:14 ( here ), in a higher resolution version of a video featuring the clip, the words “Los Angeles Police” are viewable on one officer’s uniform (similar to here).
According to Newsweek, the man in the wheelchair, identified as Joshua Wilson, was among Black Lives Matter protesters ( here ). The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD ) statement says he reportedly “punched an officer in the face and a use of force occurred between the officers and Wilson.” ( here )
Several thousand people rallied in Melbourne against new vaccination mandates on Nov. 13 ( here ). The demonstration was peaceful, with no immediate reports of unruly behavior or arrests.
On Sept. 18, the Australian police arrested 235 people in Melbourne and 32 in Sydney at anti-lockdown rallies, where clashes between police and protesters were registered ( here ).
VERDICT
Miscaptioned. Video was filmed in Los Angeles in July 2020, not during a protest against COVID-19 restrictions in Australia.
