Misleading videos circulating online claim to show celebrations in Venezuela following the recent political developments, but evidence suggests the footage is often misrepresented or originates from outside the country.
False Claims of Celebrations in Venezuela
Many videos posted online purporting to show people celebrating in Caracas, waving flags and dancing, are misleading. While celebrations did occur in response to recent events, they were largely concentrated in countries with significant Venezuelan diaspora populations, such as Argentina, Chile, Spain, and the United States.
So far, there is no visual evidence of widespread celebrations taking place within Venezuela itself.
One video shared on X by Alex Jones claims to depict celebrations in Caracas. The video, which has been viewed over two million times, shows an aerial shot of a large crowd and vehicles. Jones claimed “Millions of Venezuelans flooded the streets of Caracas and other major cities in celebration of the ouster of Communist dictator Nicholas Maduro.” However, reverse image searches revealed the video actually shows opposition protests in Caracas from July 2024 after Maduro’s disputed presidential win.
Another post by a pro-Trump journalist, viewed nearly four million times, shows people with Venezuelan flags dancing to music, claiming “World Cup style celebrations are erupting all across Venezuela.” Verification confirmed this video was filmed at a Chevron petrol station in Doral, Florida, a location with a large Venezuelan-American population.
A similar video claiming to show a jubilant crowd in Venezuela was found to have been filmed in Panama City.
One Venezuelan living in the UK told the BBC that the atmosphere within Venezuela was “very quiet” regarding the recent developments, as people were unable to “freely voice our feelings about what has happened”.
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