"Only This Place Was Spared?" Why SNS Rumors and the "Roots of Anger" Keep Spreading

A woman who appears to be a shopkeeper holds a stick and tries to block protesters, while surrounding men say something to stop her.

The video, uploaded to social media two weeks ago, spread rapidly accompanied by claims that protesters held back their attack because the shop owner was a fellow Muslim, and that not a single Muslim-owned shop was targeted. This narrative also spread to South Korea.

It surpassed 12 million views.

The SBS Fact Check team asked the Seoul bureau of Le Figaro, a leading French daily, to verify what was actually being said. The men's words were translated as follows:

[She's a woman. She's a woman and she's alone. Everyone, please go back, go back.]

They were simply telling others to stop the attack because she was a woman alone, and no expressions related to Muslims were confirmed.

While the woman appearing to be the shop owner looked like she was wearing a hijab, a closer look revealed she had long black hair. Claims that the phrase "[mon frère! mon frère!]" meant Muslim in French were also shared, but it was actually a term of address among men, equivalent to "bro" in English.

The video of a Palestinian flag atop the Eiffel Tower turned out to be manipulated by AI, and the footage widely known as an immigrant protest was confirmed to show football fans celebrating Paris Saint-Germain's UEFA Champions League victory last May.

The French daily Le Monde wrote that such fake videos push the demands of protesters to the background and cause the situation to be interpreted through identity issues such as race and religion.

Did Protesters Spare "Muslim-Owned Shops"?… Looking into the 12 Million Views (Nov. 5, 2026, 8 News)

Reported by Lee Kyoung-won | Produced by Bae Jun-hwi | Video Edited by Choi Hye-young | Designed by Cho Su-in | VJ: Kim Jun-ho | Writer: Kim Hyo-jin | Intern: Kim Jung-won | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.