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Fact Check: Does viral video show looting during recent Black Friday sale?

An old video of looting in the light of George Floyd’s death in the USA linked to this year’s Black Friday sale.

Yusha Rahman

video showing people of colour looting a Nike store has gone viral on social media. The video is being shared with the claim that it shows a recent Black Friday sale where people were plundering the shop due to the low discounts being offered.

Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States. It usually marks the start of the Christmas shopping season when many stores offer products at highly discounted prices and often open early.

An X premium user shared the video with a caption, “Damn a black Friday 100% free everything discount. People are going wild for it. (sic)”

(Source: Screenshot X/@Raymond82310289)

Similar posts can be seen here and here.

Fact Check

SouthCheck found that the claim is fake.

On searching with keywords “Nike store looted,” we found the same video on a Facebook page, uploaded on May 31, 2020, with a caption that reads, “Nike store on Michigan Ave smashed and completely looted.” Since this year’s Black Friday sale started on November 24, the viral video is old.  

We also found the same video uploaded by a YouTube channel on June 1, 2020, with the caption, “Protestors looting NIKE store | George Floyd Riots.”

A website, The Footwear News, reported the incident as, “Amid protests over George Floyd’s death, numerous stores in downtown Chicago experienced looting. The Macy’s flagship on State Street was among the stores subject to looting, with windows smashed and items carried off the main floor. Additional damage occurred at other retailers located on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, including the Nike store on Michigan Avenue as well as Neiman Marcus and multiple shops in the Water Town Place shopping center.”

Hence, we conclude that the viral video is old and is not associated with the ongoing Black Friday sale.

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