False claim: Nigerians burn Chinese stores in response to cases of discrimination of Africans in China

A viral post on social media makes the claim that in Nigeria, citizens are burning Chinese-owned shops in response to cases of harassment and discrimination of African citizens in China, ( here here ).

The post is accompanied by a video, filmed above street-level, that shows a blazing fire and large plumes of smoke above a few buildings in an urban setting.

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This claim is false. While the video does show a fire in Nigeria, it does not show arson against Chinese businesses or retail outlets. The video footage that accompanies the post stems from a fire that occurred on April 15, 2020, at the Dugbe Market, in Ibadan, Nigeria ( bit.ly/2KpD7DH ).

Local media reports confirmed that multiple shops, residential buildings and vehicles were affected by the blaze ( here , here , here ).

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The fire, however, was not caused by citizens retaliating for the reported cases of discrimination against individuals of African appearance in China. According to The Guardian Nigeria, “the fire outbreak emanated from an electric spark that started from welding equipment.” ( here )

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“Some of the affected traders were seen sobbing uncontrollably as their goods went up in flames,” The Guardian Nigeria reported.

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The claim comes amid reports by African citizens of being ejected from their apartments, tested multiple times for COVID-19 without receiving results, and facing discrimination in public in the Chinese city of Guangzhou ( here ).

China has dismissed these allegations, leveled by African and U.S. diplomats ( here ).

VERDICT

False: Fire in Nigerian market was not caused by citizens retaliating to cases of discrimination of Africans in China

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact checking work here .

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Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.