A video shows bathers chasing a fish and throwing objects at it. The claim is making the rounds on Facebook that the tourists are to blame for the animal's cruel death. Here is the fact check:
At the moment we are receiving a lot of inquiries about an article about a video that is supposed to show how “ tourists on the second largest island in Greece brutally killed an animal in front of the camera ” [sic inquiry] .
It's about this video that shows a large number of people in swimwear. Some of them stay in the water and interact with a fish.
By loading the post you accept Facebook's privacy policy.
Learn more
The fact check
The incident occurred in early July 2019 on a beach in Chalkida, Greece. The fish is a swordfish.
According to the Independent, there are unconfirmed witness accounts that the bathers initially mistook the animal for a shark and fled the water. Others say the fish swam into shallow waters to reproduce.
In the video, young men can be seen trying to catch the fish while others threw objects at the animal. According to witness statements, the swordfish was able to escape after a while.
[mk_ad]
According to local media reports , a spokesperson for the port authority stated that port staff did not notice how the animal got close to the tourists. A lifeguard found the fish dead just a minute after the incident.
In order to determine the exact cause of the swordfish's death, the dead animal was sent to veterinarians for an autopsy. Many in Greece blame the bathers for the animal's death.
They are petitioning for the criminal prosecution of the bathers and the people employed in the port who, according to witnesses, did not intervene in time. Almost 29,000 people have already signed this petition. They want to send the petition to the Greek police and the country's animal protection authorities.
Result:
The incident actually happened in Chalkida, Greece. The swordfish will be autopsied and the exact cause of death will be determined.
Many in Greece blame tourists for the fish's death and are collecting signatures on a petition. They are calling for the people involved in the video to be prosecuted.
Other sources: Greek Greece Reporter , tovima.gr
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )