Tirana protests mislabeled as Paris and Lyon scenes: French TV channels scramble to apologize for airing Albanian footage

CNEWS mislabeled Tirana footage

CNEWS showed a crowd on a street, with some people clapping and one person waving a red flag. The channel labeled the footage as Porte d’Italie in Paris, but the scene was filmed on Rruga e Durrësit in Tirana.

Some people in the images wore ski goggles and masks over their faces. A CNEWS commentator described them as “future vandals” and “future rioters,” and suggested the Paris gathering might turn violent, despite the footage being from Albania. The Associated Press verified the footage’s location. A CNEWS presenter later apologized, saying the channel had made “a mistake in the control room.”

Franceinfo also confused locations

Franceinfo’s television service also showed images from Albania on Saturday. It described them as live footage from Lyon, a city in southeastern France, and a presenter said the situation there looked “a bit tense.” AP verified the images were from Bulevardi Dëshmorët e Kombit in central Tirana. A franceinfo presenter said the images were live from Tirana, not Lyon, and acknowledged an error.

Protests took place across Europe

Demonstrations were held on Saturday in Tirana and multiple other locations in Europe. The mistaken labels led viewers to believe Albanian protest scenes were happening in Paris and Lyon. Both channels apologized after the errors. CNEWS described its mistake on its website as “a confusion of images.”