Latest news with #anti-Islamophobia
France 24
21-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
What AI detection tools got wrong in the case of a photo tweeted by a French politician
"I bet a 100 bucks that this is AI,' reads a comment on a May 11 tweet by the three-time French presidential candidate and far-left politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon. The comment, left by an account named Lapin du Futur (Futuristic Rabbit), accuses the leader of the French far-left political party France Unbowed (LFI) of having used artificial intelligence to modify a photo he shared of an anti-Islamophobia protest that took place the same day in Paris. One of the photos tweeted by Mélenchon shows him standing with several deputies from his party on the front lines of a protest. Behind them, there are thousands of protesters brandishing many different flags, including the French flag, the Palestinian flag and LFI's flag. A number of social media users, like Lapin du Futur, claimed that the photo was generated by AI and that the French flags were added. Lapin du Futur's post alone garnered more than two million views. "The prompt [Editor's note: the request provided to AI software] was 'add French flags'. None of the French flags are real,' claimed another social media account in a post that garnered more than 700,000 views. Some social media users have pointed to certain details in the photo that often indicate that an image has been AI-generated, like people's hands looking strange or deformed. In the case of this photo, one protester holding up a flag appears to have only four fingers. Another person seems to have six fingers. Another social media user shared screenshots from an AI-detection tool, which determined that it was 'likely' that the image was generated by AI. AI-detection tool Sightengine determined that there was a 90% probability that the image was generated by AI. Another tool, Decopy AI, said there was a 95% probability. And yet, there were French flags However, this image was not AI-generated and the French flags were not added to the image. No other elements were either. A number of LFI deputies also took to social media to post photos taken during the protest on Place de la Bastille in Paris, including Thomas Portes and Aly Diouara. Other accounts with links to France Unbowed also shared images. In all of the photos, you can see several French flags held by protesters. You can also see the French flags in videos of the protest posted by French media outlet BFM and images published by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on their website and YouTube page. Some social media users have also raised questions about the number of protesters in the photo, claiming that the numbers have been artificially inflated. However, the photos by other sources show the same crowd sizes on Place de la Bastille. The Paris police prefecture counted 3,700 protesters, while protest organisers said that 15,000 people had attended. As for the hands that appear to have four or six fingers, a close verification of the image reveals that each hand does actually have five fingers. If you look closely at the photo, then you can see the fifth finger of the hand holding the flagpole, partially hidden by the pole. As for the other hand, what looks like a sixth finger is actually an effect created by the angle of the hand and the shadow cast on the person's wrist (see more details below). False positives detected from minor edits to contrast and colours The FRANCE 24 Observers team contacted the press service of France Unbowed (LFI), who refuted all accusations that the image had been AI-generated. However, the party did clarify that 'contrast was added, the brightness was reduced and the vibrancy of the photo was accentuated' during the editing process. It turns out that basic edits like this can actually confuse tools meant to detect AI-generated images like Sightengine, which was cited by a number of social media users who said Mélenchon's photo was false. Our team contacted Sightengine, who confirmed that their tool detected both 'images completely generated by AI but also real photos that contained elements generated or modified by AI' like some of the above edits. "It might flag partial modifications or small edits or improvements carried out using generative AI tools,' said representatives of Sightengine. France Unbowed sent the original image – without any changes to contrast or colours – to our team. When we ran it through Sightengine, it didn't detect any possible use of AI. This supports the theory that the tool initially concluded that the photo was likely AI-generated only because of the colour and contrast correction. The same is true for the tool which initially concluded that there was a 99.13% probability that the photo posted by Mélenchon was AI-generated. In an email to our team sent on May 15, the company behind the tool said that its product 'may have some errors in the accuracy of multi-person photo recognition', indicating that it was primarily a tool 'aimed at the recognition of single-person photos'. The company promised that they would 'make immediate improvements' to the tool, following this error. 'There is AI integrated into almost all photo editing tools' "Today, there are elements of generative AI integrated into nearly all of the [photo editing] tools that we use,' said Emmanuelle Saliba, who runs the investigation bureau at GetReal, a company that detects deepfakes. The company was founded by Hany Farid, an expert in the analysis of manipulated photos and videos. Saliba explained that Photoshop, for example, "uses AI in the 'enhance' function as well as in editing". That's also the case for Lightroom, the photo editing programme that was used by France Unbowed. Lightroom explains on its site that it uses AI to improve the sharpness of images or to adjust " colours and tones'. After a careful analysis of the image using both detection algorithms and analysis of the shadows, GetReal concluded that the photo posted by Mélenchon is 'real'. A number of other AI-detection tools also did not conclude that the flags were AI-generated, including the algorithms developed by a European research and development project focused on disinformation analysis. "None of these algorithms shows any sign of AI generation in these images,' said Denis Teyssou, the editorial lead at AFP's Medialab and "We are looking for something tangible, especially signs left by image generators in the signal,' he said, unlike other AI detectors, which might say that an image is likely generated by AI because of small edits on colour or contrast. Due to the proliferation of audio, video, and images generated by AI, numerous free AI-detection tools are now available. However, it is important to remain prudent as these tools can produce false positives, wrongly identifying content as artificially generated. This is a major challenge as most of these tools do not explain their criteria for detection, nor the technical aspects that led to images being detected as AI-generated.
Euronews
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Hundreds gather in Paris to honour victim of fatal mosque attack
ADVERTISEMENT Hundreds of people gathered for a demonstration at Place de la République in Paris on Sunday to pay tribute to Aboubakar Cisse, who was brutally killed while praying in a mosque in southern France days before. The solidarity march brought together non-governmental organisations, political representatives and faith leaders who denounced what they described as an Islamophobic atmosphere in France. "We have a system, we have a state that is afraid, and it is this fear that we are facing head-on," said activist Assa Traoré. Demonstrators were seen holding signs reading "Islamophobia kills, the state is complicit," and "Justice for Aboubakar," the young worshipper killed on Friday. Demonstrator at solidarity march holding sign reading (French): "Islamophobia kills, the state is complicit." Sunday, 27 April 2025. AP Director General for NGO SOS Racisme, Valentin Stel, voiced his concern about a growing trend he's observed in recent years. "We've been witnessing for years, hate speech," he said. "Hate speech targeting the Muslim community in France, saying that they are not fully French or their loyalty is questionable." On Friday, Cisse was fatally stabbed by another man after he had just finished cleaning the mosque in the former mining town of La Grand Combe. The assailant, a man born in France in 2004 who lived in the area and who reportedly had never been to the mosque before, recorded the scene on his phone. Security camera footage also showed him shouting insults at Allah, local media said. Both men had been alone in the mosque. French leaders condemned the attack, with Prime Minister Francois Bayrou describing the attack as Islamophobic. Demonstrators gathered at anti-Islamophobia demonstration in Paris to pay tribute to Muslim worshipper killed in mosque, Sunday, 27 April 2025. AP 'We stand shoulder to shoulder with the victim's family and the shocked worshippers,' he said. 'The resources of the state are being mobilised to ensure that the murderer is caught and punished.' Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron emphasised that 'racism and hatred based on religion will never have a place in France.' 'Religious freedom is inviolable,' he added. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin called the stabbing a 'despicable murder' that 'wounds the hearts of all believers, of all Muslims in France.' Main suspect arrested Authorities on Monday said the main suspect in the murder surrendered to law enforcement officials in Italy last night. According to local reports, the man was reportedly taken away in a car. Reports claim that the man, identified as Olivier H, was of Bosnian roots, and was one of 11 siblings raised in a religious family in Lyon. ADVERTISEMENT According to French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, he posted a video on social media after the killing, stating he wanted to commit more murders and become a "serial killer". Abdelkrim Grini, the prosecutor in the southern city of Alès in charge of the case, made the announcement of his arrest, saying it was a satisfying outcome. "Faced with the effectiveness of the measures put in place, the suspect had no option but to hand himself in — and that is the best thing he could have done." Around 70 investigators had been deployed, with police forces in the wake of the incident to find the suspect. ADVERTISEMENT Meanwhile, the Great Mosque of Paris called on authorities to investigate the motives behind the attack, asking judicial authorities to specify whether the attack can be classified as a "terrorist act". They asked the authorities to note its 'scale and seriousness ... for the safety of all."
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Marjorie Taylor Greene's Ex-Husband Owns Up To Hate Incident With Muslim Women
The ex-husband of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) apologized Friday to three Muslim women for an incident police called 'disgusting.' Perry Greene was caught on video heckling the women in a mall parking lot just north of Atlanta on March 31. The women said they were praying at the time. In a clip of the incident, Greene talks out the window of his Tesla Cybertruck to tell them they were 'worshipping a false god' and reportedly ordered the U.S.-born trio to 'go back to your country' multiple times. 'All of it was just out of pure hate,' one of the women said, per Atlanta News First. The victims said to CNN that they had gone to the mall in Alpharetta for a treat to mark the end of Ramadan. Their legal team demanded an apology, according to the outlet, and Greene met with the women at their mosque before he issued his public mea culpa. 'I came today just to meet with the young ladies that I was mean to and treated disrespectfully about their religion and about what they were doing,' Greene said during a news conference in Johns Creek, Georgia. 'I just wanted them to know that I humbly apologize to them because no one should be treated that way, and that's not the right way for us to treat anybody. ... We shouldn't allow that in our society.' Greene didn't take questions. In a statement to CNN, Alpharetta police said Greene's verbal attack was 'disgusting' but was protected by free speech and did not constitute a crime. The victims' attorney, Ali Jamal Awad, said a lawsuit is on the table but could be dropped if Greene donates to an anti-Islamophobia organization. 'People do make mistakes,' Awad said, per Fox 5 in Atlanta. 'But you have to ask yourself, why? Why is it that Muslims are so targeted and so attacked in this community?' Anti-Muslim incidents in the U.S. rose to an all-time high in 2024 amid the war in Gaza, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Meanwhile, the far-right congresswoman, who married Greene in 1995 and had three children with him before their divorce was finalized in 2022, made headlines recently for berating a British journalist in a similar tone. 'Go back to your country,' she told the Sky News reporter. Fast-forward to 2:07 for Perry Greene's remarks: Fasting During Ramadan Is Challenging — But 1 Thing Makes It Especially Complicated JD Vance Says Anti-Muslim Policies Just 'Common Sense' In Joe Rogan Interview Mayor Of First U.S. City With All-Muslim City Council Endorses Trump
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Australian woman charged with assaulting two Muslims
Australian police have charged a 31-year-old woman for assaulting two Muslim women at a shopping centre in Melbourne last week. The woman from Pascoe Vale suburb is due in court on Wednesday, where it will be alleged that she targeted the two victims on 13 February because of their head coverings, local media report. She allegedly grabbed and choked a 30-year-old pregnant woman using the latter's hijab at Epping shopping centre before pushing and slapping another 26-year-old woman in a separate assault 10 minutes later. This comes two weeks after the country passed tough new laws against hate crimes following a recent string of high-profile antisemitic attacks. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday condemned the incident as "reprehensible". He rejected criticism that his government was taking Islamophobic attacks less seriously compared to antisemitic attacks. "I take all attacks on people on the basis of their faith seriously, and they should all face the full force of the law," he told reporters. Melbourne police say they are investigating reports of online threats against one of the two victims in the shopping centre. Both suffered non-life-threatening injuries. On Tuesday, Australia's anti-Islamophobia envoy, Aftab Malik, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that "all forms of hate need to stop" and that the country's leaders must condemn the incident in Melbourne. Earlier in the week, the president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Rateb Jneid, expressed alarm over attacks on Muslims in the country and called the government's response "grossly insufficient". Australia's government has described new laws passed in early February as the "toughest laws Australia has ever had against hate crimes". It imposes mandatory jail terms ranging from one to six years for the use of hate symbols such as the Nazi salute. The reforms come as attacks on Jewish targets have become a topic of fierce debate in the country. Last week, two Australian nurses were suspended after a video appeared to show them threatening to kill Israeli patients and boasting about refusing to treat them. In late January, Sydney police found a caravan containing explosives and an antisemitic note. A week before that, set alight and sprayed with antisemitic messages
BBC News
19-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Australian woman charged with assaulting two Muslims
Australian police have charged a 31-year-old woman for assaulting two Muslim women at a shopping centre in Melbourne last woman from Pascoe Vale suburb is due in court on Wednesday, where it will be alleged that she targeted the two victims on 13 February because of their head coverings, local media allegedly grabbed and choked a 30-year-old pregnant woman using the latter's hijab at Epping shopping centre before pushing and slapping another 26-year-old woman in a separate assault 10 minutes comes two weeks after the country passed tough new laws against hate crimes following a recent string of high-profile antisemitic attacks. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday condemned the incident as "reprehensible". He rejected criticism that his government was taking Islamophobic attacks less seriously compared to antisemitic attacks."I take all attacks on people on the basis of their faith seriously, and they should all face the full force of the law," he told police say they are investigating reports of online threats against one of the two victims in the shopping centre. Both suffered non-life-threatening Tuesday, Australia's anti-Islamophobia envoy, Aftab Malik, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that "all forms of hate need to stop" and that the country's leaders must condemn the incident in in the week, the president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Rateb Jneid, expressed alarm over attacks on Muslims in the country and called the government's response "grossly insufficient". Australia's government has described new laws passed in early February as the "toughest laws Australia has ever had against hate crimes".It imposes mandatory jail terms ranging from one to six years for the use of hate symbols such as the Nazi reforms come as attacks on Jewish targets have become a topic of fierce debate in the week, two Australian nurses were suspended after a video appeared to show them threatening to kill Israeli patients and boasting about refusing to treat late January, Sydney police found a caravan containing explosives and an antisemitic note. A week before that, set alight and sprayed with antisemitic messages
