French TV Channels Scramble to Apologize After Airing Albanian Protests as Paris and Lyon
The channels said the footage came from France before correcting the mistake and apologizing after AP verified it was shot in Tirana.
- On Saturday, October 24, 2026, French broadcasters CNEWS and franceinfo misidentified protest footage from Tirana, Albania, as live scenes from Paris and Lyon, the Associated Press verified.
- CNEWS presenter Olivier Benkemoun explained the channel received video feeds from multiple locations and misidentified some images during the control-room mix-up on Saturday.
- During the CNEWS broadcast, a commentator alleged protesters were "behaving like future vandals, like future rioters," while airing footage actually filmed in Albania.
- Far-Left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon labeled the error "Pathetic" on X, joining critics who savaged the broadcaster's misidentification.
- French authorities reported 1,314 arrests following Saturday's demonstrations, with police deploying tear gas and water cannons, providing a factual baseline contrasting the misidentified footage.
107 Articles
107 Articles
On Tuesday, 27 October, the Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI France) presented a first assessment of the deterioration of the shops on the margins of the gatherings since 17 October. The first returns of the insurances evoking damage to the amount of one billion euros. A worrying figure as the strategic period of purchases at the end of the year approaches and as a new weekend is coming under high stress.
Mobilizations on 17 and 24 October: More than 2,500 Businesses Affected, Nearly Half of Them Heavily
The network of chambers of commerce takes stock of the violence on the margins of the demonstrations of 17 and 24 October. More than 2,500 businesses have been degraded, half of them very heavily, points the CCI. The metropolis of Marseille is even more affected than Paris and Île-de-France. - Mobilisations of 17 and 24 October: more than 2,500 businesses affected, of which almost half heavily (Police, justice and various facts).
Two French television stations, CNEWS and Franceinfo, have apologized after broadcasting footage of protests in Tirana, mistakenly presenting them as demonstrations in Paris and Lyon. The error occurred on Saturday, October 24, while reporting on protests in France against the high cost of living and problems with education funding. CNEWS broadcast footage of masked protesters on a street in Tirana, identifying them as participants in the demons…
Claim: These images show the mobilization of military forces to suppress student protests in Albania Verdict: Lack of context ——————————————————————- While student protests in Albania have been ongoing since October 13, a video is circulating in some foreign media, but also on Albanian-speaking social networks, that allegedly shows the mobilization of military forces to suppress the protest. […]
Two French Channels Mistakenly Released Footage of Protests in Albania over Demonstrations in France
Errors on the air on October 24 were attributed to CNEWS and Franceinfo.
Telekanals showed images of protests in the Albanian capital Tirana as events in Paris and Lyon, both of which later apologized to the audience.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources lean Left
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