WASHINGTON — QUESTION:
Does this video, shared on Twitter, really depict a crowd of 'rioters and looters invading homes?'
ANSWER:
No, the video shows a D.C. resident opening his home so that protesters can take cover during a citywide curfew.
SOURCES:
Rahul Dubey: Lives in the home captured in the video
PROCESS:
A video uploaded to Twitter claims that a crowd of protesters stormed into a D.C. house. In the video being shared you can hear someone ask, "they're going inside someone's home?"
Another iteration of this tweet was published hours earlier and was shared more than 10,000 times. It says DC protests were "hitting next level as rioters rush people's houses."
Our Verify researchers soon realized this video was taken out of context.
Our team traced this video back to the night of June 1, to a house on Swann Street NW, near Logan Circle.
That’s when Rahul Dubey welcomed dozens of protesters into his home to wait out the 7 p.m. curfew. The next morning, he was celebrated by protesters for letting them stay the night.
Our Verify researchers showed Dubey the video and captions going around social media. He confirmed to us, this video portrays him inviting people into his home, not rioters rushing in.
When he opened his door, Dubey said, he was shouting for people to come inside.
"If 'get in the house' is not an indicator that one is welcome in a stranger's home, I don't know what else is," he said. "These were strangers, the invited guests, the community members and now we are family. I invited them in on Monday night and they are welcome to return here anytime."
So we can Verify, narratives that claim rioters forced their way inside are false.