Old Video Falsely Tied To Europe-Inspired Montreal Protests
A video shared on Facebook, Instagram and X as proof of French-style protest violence in Montreal was actually filmed in November 2024 at a demonstration…
MONTREAL — An old video of a violent street protest is circulating online as supposed proof that French cost-of-living unrest has reached Canada, just as Canadian and European Union officials discuss closer ties. The clip is an example of how an old video misrepresented europe-inspired protests, and it does not show current events.
The footage was filmed during a November 2024 demonstration against a NATO conference in Montreal, Quebec's largest city. Demonstrations inspired by France have since taken place in the city, but they have remained largely peaceful.
What the posts claimed
"It's already happening in Canada and we're not even part of the EU 'yet,'" said an October 21, 2026 Facebook post that referred to negotiations on a tighter partnership between Canada and the European Union.
The post showed marchers carrying red smoke flares along a city block as loud bangs echoed. Some people struck glass windows, while others fled. It placed the scene in Montreal, where EU envoys met Canadian counterparts on October 29 to discuss the future of their alliance.
Similar posts in several languages, including Dutch and Portuguese, spread across Facebook, Instagram and X. They also described the footage as a Canadian version of the demonstrations in France.
The protests in France
Student protests over conditions at French schools gained momentum in early October. They have grown into a nationwide movement over the rising cost of living. Violence broke out on the sidelines of some marches, and the government deployed roughly 70,000 police and made many arrests during the weekend of October 25.
Protests have also occurred in Italy, Belgium, Spain and Portugal over different issues, with some overlap on inflation and education.
Smaller France-inspired demonstrations have happened in Montreal. One Quebec high school suspended over 70 students for disruptive behavior reminiscent of the French protests.
Where the footage came from
The Quebec-based fact-checking organization VérifRadar first reported that the video was not from those protests. Reverse image searches traced it to a pro-Palestinian protest in November 2024 against delegates from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the intergovernmental political and military alliance. The Globe and Mail, Canada's largest daily newspaper, published the same footage on its website.
NATO representatives were in Montreal then to discuss climate change and assistance to Ukraine in its war with Russia. Demonstrators called for withdrawal from the alliance and for more support for Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.
Media reports said the protests turned violent near the Palais des congrès convention center downtown, where some participants smashed windows and torched cars. Police used chemical irritants to disperse the crowd.
Google Street View imagery confirms the location as an entrance to the Palais des congrès on Viger Avenue. It shows distinctive light fixtures and decals on the glass facade featuring four fleurs-de-lys, the symbols on Quebec's flag.
Politics behind the claim
The 2026 Montreal demonstrations that followed those in France remained relatively calm and small as of October 29. Experts told local media they are unlikely to spiral to the level of disruption seen in Europe.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has sought closer ties with the EU as Canada's relationship with the United States has frayed. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has suggested a unique and novel alliance between his country and the bloc.
Some critics doubt what closer ties with Europe could bring, and certain conservatives say they do not want to engage with the coalition's immigration policies.
