The tragic flood that hit the Emilia-Romagna Region continues to generate disinformation. We had already examined the case of the alleged photo depicting the overpass on the Bologna-Padua motorway near Occhiobello, on the border between Veneto and Emilia Romagna, just as we had denied the conspiracy on the Ridracoli dam. Now it’s the turn of a strange video showing a pig and a large fish being dragged away by the current.
For those in a hurry:
- A video circulates in which a pig and a fish share the waters of a muddy river in flood.
- The video is attributed to the floods that hit Emilia Romagna in May 2023.
- The video is actually a montage of two different clips probably shot in South East Asia.
- The video was released at least on May 8, well before some parts of Bologna and its surroundings were considerably flooded.
- Other floods in the Emilian capital had occurred at the beginning of the month, but these were not floods like those shown in the video.
Analyses
«Bologna, itali»: these words can be read above a video shared from the Facebook page of the Caf Patronato Palazzolo. In the clip, a swollen stream appears to carry away a pig and a giant fish. The content was shared indicating that the unusual situation portrayed recently took place in the region affected by floods and landslides. However, there are several elements that contradict this thesis.
Through a series of searches for images and keywords, it is possible to trace what is most likely the original video. Note how in the version shared on Facebook by Caf Patronato Palazzolo the cuttlefish stickers are positioned in two specific points. That is, those where the watermark that TikTok inserts in the videos appears when they are downloaded. The proof can be obtained by carefully observing the cuttlefish in the lower right corner, behind which a piece of the watermark can be seen intermittently appearing, which when it does not appear is located under the other sticker. Also note the fact that the speaker in the video does not speak Italian.
With other searches we go back to the same video. This time, however, the watermark corresponds to the nickname of the user who uploaded it to TikTok: bayashi_cooking. The video has been viewed over 4 million times and the most voted comment is written in the Burmese language, which suggests that this is the language spoken by the people in the video. The commentary also suggests that the video is actually a montage of two different clips. The lower one where the giant fish wallows, and the upper one where the pig tries not to drown. Between the two, a whitish and confused area. Observing carefully, one also sees how the two portions of the river flow at completely different speeds, complete with evident jerks in the movements that betray their artificiality. Finally, the video was posted on 8 May, while the floods in Bologna, which however were not as intense as the video would like to suggest, occurred from 12 May onwards. Other floods in the Emilian capital had occurred at the beginning of the monthbut it wasn’t flooding like the ones shown in the video
@bayashi_cooking #fypsi #you #xyzcba ♬ DANCE! – 1nonly
Conclusions
A video circulates in which a pig and a fish share the waters of a muddy river in flood. The video is attributed to the floods that hit Emilia Romagna in May 2023. But it’s actually a photomontage of two different clips probably shot in South East Asia. The video was released at least on May 8, well before some parts of Emilia-Romagna were flooded.
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