Fact Check

Does Viral Vid Show 'Muslim Immigrant' Urinating on Pork in a Grocery Store?

According to a caption shared alongside the video, it was recorded in an Albert Heijn supermarket in the Netherlands.

Published Dec 18, 2023

Updated Dec 21, 2023
 (@buurtwachtt/TikTok)
Image Via @buurtwachtt/TikTok
Claim:
A video clip shows a "Muslim immigrant" urinating on pork products in a Dutch grocery store.
Context

By email, the creator of the video confirmed to Snopes that the video was fake, meaning that the subject did not urinate in the grocery store and that a sound effect had been added for the effect of a prank. Further, they said that the man in the clip is Muslim, but is not an immigrant.

On Dec. 17, 2023, Paul Golding, leader of the far-right Britain First group, posted (archived) on X a video that he claimed showed a Muslim migrant facing away from the camera while urinating on pork in a Dutch supermarket. Golding's caption included an angry-face emoji and read as follows: "Muslim immigrant in Holland urinates on the pork section of the supermarket as another films saying 'we don't eat pork.'"

In the video, another man apparently recording the clip could be heard speaking Dutch. The man's words translated to English as, "Bro, you are radical, just because he doesn't want to eat pig. Wow. We don't eat pork. We don't eat pork."

Around three hours after Golding put up his post, the same video was also reposted by Geert Wilders, a far-right lawmaker whose party captured a victory in November's Dutch general election, according to The Associated Press. Wilders did not share the same caption that Golding shared. Wilders' repost was from a post put up prior to Golding's by the Dutch video platform Dumpert.

The post from Dumpert had a Dutch caption that translated to the following words in English: "Young pisses on pork in the Albert Heijn." The caption from Dumpert did not mention anything about the man in the video being a Muslim migrant, nor did it provide any further context. (Albert Heijn is the name of a supermarket chain in the Netherlands.)

This video was originally posted around Dec. 14 by a user who sometimes uploads prank-themed content to his TikTok account. His TikTok handle is @buurtwachtt, which translates in English to "neighborhood watch." He also hosts livestream videos that show him cooking, as well as other clips of him working out at a Basic Fit gym, among other types of content.

In the video, no urine was visible, as again, the man's back was turned to the camera. Also, as one user on X pointed out, an apparent sound effect was audible that sounded like liquid hitting liquid, such as urine going into a toilet. A commenter under the TikTok video also said much the same, posting, "Dudes, it's a joke. It's a sound."

In other words, all signs pointed to the idea that the man in the video was not, in fact, urinating on the meat. Further, we found no data to indicate that the man was a Muslim immigrant.

Another commenter under the video added, "People, understand that this is a joke." Two other users both posted laughing-with-tears emojis alongside their comments, "Do people really think this is real?" and, "People who believe this omggg."

Other videos posted by @buurtwachtt on TikTok also supposedly depicted the user urinating. In one such clip of the user standing in the corner of what looked to be a gym locker room, liquid was visible. One commenter said, "It's water," while another user claimed to hear the quick, faint sound of a crinkle of a plastic bottle that was purportedly hidden in his hand. After all, in other videos unrelated to urination, @buurtwachtt can be seen holding water bottles.

In a different video, @buurtwachtt was recorded standing level with a sink while purportedly urinating from above. Once again, commenters pointed out how they believed the act looked fake. "That really is the clearest water ever," one user said. Further, @buurtwachtt tagged @Basic-Fit, the official TikTok account for the gym from which he posted some of the videos.

This fact check was originally published with a rating of "Unproven" for the claims that had been made by Golding and others on social media. The users who promoted the rumor had provided no credible evidence that would confirm their claims.

On Dec. 20, we received a response from a representative for @buurtwachtt, who confirmed to us that the video was fake. In other words, the subject in the video had not, in fact, urinated in a grocery store. A sound effect was added to give the impression that urinating had taken place, they said. Further, they told us that the man in the clip is Muslim, but is not an immigrant.

Given that the video had been manipulated with a sound effect, and taking into account all of the other data, we updated our fact-check rating for this claim to Fake.

For more, @buurtwachtt uploaded a YouTube video explaining the grocery store video and other clips.

Sources

@buurtwachtt. TikTok, https://www.tiktok.com/@buurtwachtt/.

Corder, Mike. “Far-Right Dutch Election Winner Wilders Wants to Be Prime Minister, Promises to Respect Constitution.” The Associated Press, 13 Dec. 2023, https://apnews.com/article/netherlands-wilders-coalition-election-constitution-plasterk-14883f30ea676c6894519ebc1c5bae19.

@Sam_Wenmakers. “Dus, de Video Die Geert Deelde Alsof Het Een Moslim Was Die over Varkensvlees Piste, Is Nep.” X, 17 Dec. 2023, https://twitter.com/sam_wenmakers/status/1736489603882778958.

Updates

Dec. 21, 2023: This report's fact-check rating was updated from "Unproven" to "Fake" after we received word from the video creators, who said the clip included a sound effect and that the subject did not, in fact, urinate in the grocery store.

Jordan Liles is a Senior Reporter who has been with Snopes since 2016.

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