The first batch of five French Rafale fighter jets reached Haryana’s Ambala to join the Indian Air Force fleet on July 29 after flying a distance of about 7,000 km. The fighter jets took off from France on July 27 and made a halt in the UAE.
In the backdrop of this, a video of jets forming a tricolour display as they fly away is being circulated with the claim that this shows France bidding farewell to the Rafales heading for India.
‘Everyone talked about Rafales landing in India but see the farewell from France with Indian Tricolors. Will surely make you miss several heart beats!!’ reads the message accompanying the viral video.
The claim has been shared multiple times on Twitter and Facebook.
#मक्कार_कमलनाथ Everyone talked about Rafael landing in India but see the farewell from France with Indian Tricolors. pic.twitter.com/31iG3cKChk
— हिन्दू भूलता बहुत है। (@dev_prints) August 2, 2020
Yeah Hakikat bhi Janie Everyone talked about Rafael landing in India but see the farewell from France with Indian Tricolors. pic.twitter.com/KeujUN7QPI
— Namo US Channel (@namo_us) August 2, 2020
Everyone talked about Rafael landing in India but see the farewell from France with Indian Tricolors. Bharat Mata ki jai pic.twitter.com/SuWSSPMd5S
— Sudhakara Rao (@imSudhakarRUP) August 2, 2020
Everyone talked about Rafael landing in India but see the farewell from France with Indian Tricolors. pic.twitter.com/zzaUJLvMrL
— ❤️Lotika #SreeFam❤️ (@vijLotika) August 2, 2020
The Logical Indian received multiple requests to Verify the claim made about the viral video.
Claim:
Viral video showing jet fly off with a display of the tricolour is from the farewell event hosted by France for the Rafale jets heading to India.
Fact Check:
The claim is false.
A Google Reverse Image search was done by breaking the video into individual frames using InVid. This clearly showed that the video was from Italy’s Republic Day celebrations in Rome.
According to a report from 2015, which carried a screengrab from the viral video, June 2 marks the day when Italians used their votes to depose their monarchy once and for all in 1946.
Reportedly, the Air Force acrobatics team known as the Frecce Tricolori (Italian for ‘three-colored arrows’) flies in formation over the capital of the country, Rome, leaving smoke trails in the colours of the Italian flag: green, white, and red.
The similarity of the Italian flag colours and the Indian tricolour is being used to propagate the fake claim along with the viral video. In fact, the Italian flag can be clearly seen in the viral video.
Below is an image of the Italian Flag (left) and a screenshot of the viral video (right):
The viral video is a 30 seconds clip from a video of the event dating back to 2018.
Below is a comparison of a screenshot from the viral video (left) and a screenshot from the Youtube video (Right):
Earlier, the video had gone viral with claim that it shows the celebration of India’s Independence Day in London’s Trafalgar Square.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
Also Read: Fact Check: Did Air Commodore Hilal Ahmed Pilot Rafale To India?
