DISINFO: The French police set fire to the Paris Fouquet's Restaurant
SUMMARY
On 16 March 2019, the famous restaurant Fouquet’s on the avenue of the Champs Elysée in Paris was set on fire by a grenade of tear gas used by the police against the demonstrators.
RESPONSE
On Saturday March 16th 2019 the symbolic restaurant Fouquet's was attacked, ransacked, looted and burned down, during the 18th act of mobilization of "yellow vests". It then closed for reconstruction for 5 months. Some Twitter users including a reporter of RT emitted the hypothesis that a grenade of tear gas could have set on fire the external blind of the restaurant and that it would have started the fire of the restaurant. However, witnesses and video footage of the event show that it was not the case . The RT reporter recognized on 17 Sunday 2019 that he was mistaken and that police tear gas grenades cannot have set the restaurant on fire. Footage published by Sputnik even shows that a flare, similar to those used by football supporters, was launched from the crowd and landed on the external shade. The hypothesis of a fire started by the police was ruled out by fact-checking teams of Libération, France Info, RT France, 20 minutes.