FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show A Fight In An English Pub Beer Garden In 2021?

A video shared on Facebook allegedly shows a fight at a pub beer garden in England after such places reopened again during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Verdict: False

The video shows an altercation that occurred in 2018. It was not related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fact Check:

Pubs were able to reopen their beer gardens April 12 after the U.K. loosened some of its COVID-19 restrictions, CNBC reported. After such settings were allowed to reopen, footage of a fight taking place at The Command House pub in Chatham, England, circulated with captions linking it to the country’s COVID-19 mitigation measures loosening.

“Pub beer gardens back open in England,” one April 19 Facebook post said. “Its good to see everything is back to normal in them.” (RELATED: Did Public Health England Admit It ‘Cannot Scientifically Prove That COVID-19 Is Contagious’?)

The altercation captured in the footage actually predates the COVID-19 pandemic. The skirmish took place in early July 2018, when people gathered in the beer garden to watch a World Cup soccer match between England and Colombia, according to The Evening Standard. The woman who took the video said the fight occurred following a game-tying extra-time goal by Colombia, the outlet reported.

Other British media outlets such as The Sun and Kent Online also reported on the brawl at the time. On July 4, 2018, the day after the incident, The Command House announced on its Facebook page that it “WILL NOT be showing any further World Cup games, including the England v Sweden game this coming Saturday 7th, and in addition any future football tournaments,” citing the “actions of a handful of idiots.”

On Monday, the U.K. government allowed pubs and other hospitality venues in England to resume indoor service,  according to its website. The U.K. government’s website states patrons must stay seated when ordering, being served and consuming food and drinks in “any premises serving alcohol.”