Wrote: Etrit Rexhepi
A content is published claiming that, “In Antwerp, Belgium, gangs of Arab immigrants clashed with gangs of Albanian drug cartel near Koningin Astridplein station, leaving 4 injured and 8 arrested.”".
allegation was published on April 24 by the account "vukfenix" on the "X" platform, through a video showing several people fighting.
What is the truth?
Hibrid.info has found that media publications in Belgium, which were reported to official sources, do not confirm that any of the people involved in the fight are Albanian.
Hibrid.info has researched this video using the automated search engine, "InVID", and has come across an article published by a Dutch-language media outlet regarding the event seen in the footage (see here).
The article contains the video in question and confirms that the incident took place in Antwerp, Belgium.
The article states that after the fight, police arrested two 18-year-old Afghans on suspicion of attempted murder and weapons violations. According to the prosecutor's office, both men were in possession of a knife. The other four people arrested on Monday night have since been released.
The incident in Antwerp is also confirmed by other Dutch-language media based in Belgium (see here and here).
Which means that, although the ethnicity of all the people involved in this fight is not known, there is no confirmation that any of them are of Albanian ethnicity.
Hibrid.info has previously addressed disinformation content of this nature, published by this account (see here).
Analyze:
The claim that several Albanians were involved in a fight in Antwerp, Belgium, has not been confirmed.
It has been learned from the media in Belgium about two Afghans being arrested, while the national identities of the other people involved are unknown.
Therefore, based on its work methodology, hibrid.info assesses this content as "Disinformation" and "Manipulation of facts".
Reasoning:
"Disinformation" is defined as information content that contains a "mix" of inaccurate sources or even half-truthful attributes, and that is created and/or distributed with the deliberate intention of causing harm. The motive behind the producers/distributors of disinformation content lies in achieving a political, financial, psychological or social goal.
“Factual manipulation” is a rating given to informational content that uses facts known to be accurate but interprets them in a distorted manner. These reports typically use accurate information to draw incorrect conclusions or claims, thereby misleading consumers of media content about the actual meaning of the facts presented.