In August 2024, a video allegedly filmed at a mass event of Middle Eastern Christians went viral. It was alleged that the organizers held it as a protest against the opening ceremony of the Paris Games. We checked whether this description is correct.
On August 10 and 11, on the eve and on the day of the closing ceremony of the Olympics in Paris, Telegram channels reported that in Iraq they were planning to repeat the March of Jesus, held earlier in response to the opening ceremony of the Games, in the near future. The posts were accompanied by a 35-second video purporting to show the first of two processions. It shows people in uniforms with a huge image of Jesus Christ marching to the sounds of a religious hymn along the street of a certain city.
On Telegram, this video was distributed by channels such as “People talking in the kitchen"(171,000 views at the time of writing this analysis), "Sheikh Tamir" (163,000), "Heavenly"(140,000), "Freshness" (66,000) and "Informant"(53,000).
Opening ceremony of the XXXIII Summer Olympic Games in Paris called wide response from religious figures, conservative politicians and activists from around the world. The main triggers for this reaction were a show with the participation of drag artists, in which many saw a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper” (as to whether it was intended, comments from the organizers and participants separated), as well as a faceless rider, who was considered the embodiment of one of the horsemen of the Apocalypse.
At the same time, a large number of fakes and news taken out of context regarding the opening ceremony have appeared on the Internet. "Verified" already oncebirscarlet some of them. In particular, shortly after the start of the Games, a video circulated on the Internet showing a crowd of people with candles in their hands singing psalms. It was alleged that these were French believers who decided to “cleanse” the country after the opening ceremony of the Games. As it turned out later, the video was filmed in 2022 in Lourdes, the center of Christian pilgrimage.
“Verified” did not find any evidence in authoritative sources that a similar action was carried out recently in Iraq. Neither major media nor religious organizations of this country, such as the patriarchy, wrote about her Chaldean Catholic Church, the largest Christian church in the country. At the same time, patriarchy in social networks condemned opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris, comparing it with burnings Koran in Sweden last year.
In the viral video, you can see the Instagram logo and a tag that appears to indicate the account from which the video was taken.
Indeed, on July 27, the day after the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, the user @thejkeffect (he has over 100,000 followers on Instagram) published video that later went viral. The text in the publication read: “Testimony of the power of faith! Witness the power of faith! In a remarkable display of devotion, the Iraqi people marched together, raising their voices in unison, proclaiming, “Jesus is king!” This incredible moment demonstrates the country's deep connection with Christianity. Despite the difficulties, their faith remains unshakable. Let this be a testament to the resilience of the Iraqi people and the universal language of love and hope that Christianity brings.”
As you can see, the text says nothing about the Olympic Games. Moreover, the reverse search on Google, one frame of the video leads to many other posts, including two years earlier. Specifically, on July 2, 2022, TikTok user @catholic.marcos posted the same video with the subtitle “Chaldean troops at the Iraqi military parade.” There was no musical accompaniment in that video, and in the 2024 version the song Jesus Is King sounds to the music of the composition O Fortuna from Carl Orff's cantata Carmina Burana, which does not correspond to the rhythm of the marchers (probably the audio track was superimposed over the video). Execution reminds arranged for choir under the direction of Kanye West.
As for the video itself, the analysis of the details in the background (portrait of the deceased commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces of Iraq Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, large screen, palm trees) suggests that the video was filmed in the city of Al-Khalis in the Diyala governorate northwest of Baghdad. July 23, 2022 there passed military parade, which featured the same group of people wearing crosses on their black clothing as seen in the viral video.
Judging by the subtitles and caption under another video, filmed at the same time in the same location, it depicts fighters 50th Brigade "Kataib Babilyoun" of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces. It has existed since 2017 and bills itself as a Christian armed force. The recording was posted on his Facebook account by unit commander Osama al-Kildani.
At the same time, the Chaldean Catholic Church more than once stated, What doesn't have nothing in common with this and other armed groups gathered along religious lines. So, shortly after the July 2022 parade, representatives of the organization condemned the use of Christian symbols in it. Corresponding publication on the website of the patriarchate of the church is illustrated with a still from a viral video.
Moreover, due to the difference in the dates of publication of the original video, which subsequently went viral on social networks, and the news about the parade (beginning and end of July, respectively), while all other details coincide, it can be assumed that the author of the video captured only a rehearsal of the procession. This version is also supported by the switched off screen in the viral video.
Thus, the viral video does not depict Jesus marching against the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, but a march that took place in Iraq in 2022 (probably during a rehearsal for a military parade).
In Russian, a video with an incorrect signature first appeared on August 10 at 22:26 Moscow time in the Telegram channel “Freshness" This resource repeatedly featured in debriefings “Verified” as one of the sources of disinformation.
Cover photo: social networks
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