A brutal video of a Syrian migrant stabbing children on a playground in Annecy, France, that went viral on Twitter has now been mass deleted, with numerous accounts displaying the message: video deleted.
The attack, which was covered by Remix News, shows a Syrian migrant racing around stabbing children, as a mother attempts to push her child to safety. According to press reports, at least five children were stabbed in the attack, including two adults. Two of the children remain in critical condition.
A full version of the video is available below through Rumble.
Twitter has also ordered Remix News to remove the video, which this outlet had initially posted on Twitter in full.
The Remix News Twitter account was locked until we agreed to delete the video.
UPDATE: Twitter has also removed a censored version of Remix News’ video, which removed all scenes of the perpetrator stabbing his victims.
The censored version of the Remix News video can still be found below at Rumble.
The original Twitter video was garnering millions of views across Twitter before it was mass deleted. Here are some of the biggest accounts claiming censorship from Twitter.
RadioGenova, which had over a million views on its video, reposted the video, saying that Twitter censored their original post. It is unclear how long the second posting of the video will remain available.
Other high-profile account which posted the video include conservative commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek. She wrote, “The video is being censored everywhere, but we know what we saw.”
In France, Reconquest party politician Damien Rieu also had his video deleted, although many other French accounts also suffered the same fate.
Why the highly newsworthy video was censored is open to speculation. Twitter routinely showcases graphic and violent videos, including police shootings, stabbings and other shocking content. However, the fact that this video shows a migrant stabbing small children, and the political implications of the event, which will likely fuel anti-immigration sentiment for a French population already furious over open borders, according to a raft of polls, could have led to intense pressure on Musk’s Twitter to censor the video.
Others claim the video may have been mass reported in a coordinated effort to take it down. A number of accounts have taken to reposting the video, but it is quickly being removed.
Notably, the video of the death of George Floyd was widely distributed across a variety of social networks, and the full video was available on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
The video can still be found on some smaller accounts on Twitter, with some users attempting to circumvent the mass deletion wave. However, in many cases, new postings of the video are also quickly deleted.
As reported by Remix News, a witness, Ferdinand, said the attack took place near Lake Annecy close to a location with paddle boats, recreational activities, and a playground. Ferdinand told BFMTV that the assailant “jumped” at the children and “he started screaming, he walked towards the strollers and started repeatedly stabbing the little ones.”
The witness said he saw “children and a mother on the ground.”
Ferdinand then said that “when (the assailant) saw that he was surrounded by the police, he went to a couple and he stabbed the elderly person.”
“He went straight for a grandpa who was with his wife, and he stabbed him,” said another witness, Anthony. “I was telling (the police) to shoot him, to shoot him. (…) They immobilized him.”
The perpetrator was allegedly shot by police. He remains in custody.
It is unclear what the motive for the attack is, but it remains the top headline in France. Numerous politicians have already weighed in on the issue, including National Rally parliamentary leader Marine Le Pen, who wrote: “It is with fear and horror that we learn of the attack on young children in Annecy by an individual armed with a knife. My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones.”
