The Statement
APP FactCheck examined a Facebook post from August 23 which featured a video of a woman wearing a long black robe or dress and a headscarf at the entrance to a supermarket. The woman is surrounded by five men who appear to be supermarket employees and is taking items out from under her garment and placing them on the floor.
The 36-second video concludes with the woman lifting her dress to reveal her torso and underpants, as if to show there are no more items concealed under the robe.
The Facebook post, from an Australian user, reads: “Woolies Bankstown” – an apparent reference to a Woolworths supermarket in the south-western Sydney suburb of Bankstown.
The post has attracted more than 200k views, 4,500 shares and more than 100 comments.
The Analysis
AAP FactCheck found the video first accompanying a story published by UK newspaper The Telegraph on August 7, 2019.
The Telegraph story was a report on “two women in Muslim dress” caught apparently attempting to steal items hidden under their garments at an Asda supermarket in Dagenham, East London.
A staff member in the video has an Asda logo on the back of his jacket. Asda is a British supermarket chain that does not have any outlets in Australia.
The video also shows supermarket signs that read “Famously low prices: £15” – using the British pound rather than the Australian dollar.
The Telegraph’s story quotes a spokesman from London’s Metropolitan Police stating that the incident occurred on August 4 between 7.30pm and 7.45pm local time in Dagenham.
The incident was also reported in the UK’s Barking and Dagenham Post.
The Verdict
Based on the evidence, AAP FactCheck found the caption stating that the incident occurred at a Woolworths supermarket in Bankstown, Sydney, to be false.
The incident occurred at a British supermarket and a UK newspaper published the video and a report of the incident on August 7, 2019, before the post from an Australian user on August 23.
- False – The Facebook post is false.
First published August 27, 2019 17:50 AEST
