Users from Kenya shared the photo showing a black-clad protester wearing ski goggles and holding a tennis racket, with some posts racking up thousands of likes and shares.
The Finance Bill 2024 angered many Kenyans, who staged protests on June 18, during which officers used tear gas and arrested hundreds of protesters.
According to a police report seen by AFP, an officer was seriously injured when a tear gas canister exploded in his hands.
Some users rejected the claim that the video showed a Kenyan protester, but others applauded the person.
“We are Gen Z and we are tired of the government,” one user wrote.
Gen Z refers to those born between 1997 and 2012, with the oldest members being around 27 years old (archived here).
“That man is a leader… who protects at all costs,” wrote another.
But the image comes from a demonstration against labor reforms in France in 2016, and not from the recent Kenyan protests.
France, not Kenya
AFP Fact Check used a reverse image search and found the image on the Reuters news agency website, with the caption “France revolts against labor reforms” (archived here).
Reuters posted the image of protests in the western French city of Nantes in June 2016.
AFP took a similar photo of a masked protester holding a tennis racket during a demonstration against planned labor law reforms on June 2, 2016 in Nantes (archived here).
“More demonstrations against reforms that the government says are aimed at making France more business-friendly – would take place in major cities on June 2…” reads the caption of the AFP photo.
Cost of living crisis
Kenyan President William Ruto came to power in 2022 promising to revive the economy and put money in the pockets of the oppressed. But his policies have led to widespread discontent (archived here).
He has raised income taxes and health insurance premiums and doubled VAT on petroleum products to 16 percent.
Although Kenya is one of East Africa’s most dynamic economies, roughly a third of its 51.5 million inhabitants live in poverty.
The cash-strapped government had previously defended the increases – which were expected to raise some 346.7 billion shillings ($2.7 billion), equivalent to 1.9 percent of GDP – as a necessary measure to reduce dependency of external borrowing.
