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  • 2018-03-21 (xsd:date)
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  • Did 'Muslim Migrants' Attack a Catholic Church During Mass in France? (en)
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  • On 20 March 2018, the Facebook page News World shared a video which they claim shows Muslim immigrants attacking a Catholic church during mass in France: This video (which can be viewed below) does document a real event that took place in France in March 2018, giving a nod to at least some semblance of accuracy in this report. However, it stops there. The post contains no evidence that backs their conclusions about the protesters' religion or whether they were new arrivals to the country. Furthermore, the protesters did not attack a Catholic church, and mass was not in session during the incident as claimed: La Croix, an independent Catholic news outlet, explained that this group likely chose the Basilica of Saint-Denis as the location for this protest as the church has historically provided aid and services to refugees and asylum-seekers. In 2002, for instance, they took in more than 130 refugees as they awaited processing. Since then the church has become symbolically connected to the refugee crisis. Although this viral video (which was viewed more than 1.2 million times within a day of its initial posting) does not show Muslim immigrants attacking a Catholic church in France as described, it predictably drew responses from far-right politicians known for spreading anti-immigrant disinformation, such as failed French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, who tweeted that the immigrants had desecrated the church: However, members of the church appear to agree with protesters that the new bill would make life far more difficult for immigrants and those seeking refuge in France: (en)
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