FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show A French Doctor Being Arrested For Prescribing Ivermectin?

A video shared on Instagram purportedly shows French doctor Jean-Paul Théron being arrested for prescribing Ivermectin to patients.

Verdict: False

Théron was, according to the public prosecutor of the case, arrested for violence towards a bailiff, not for prescribing ivermectin.

Fact Check:

Théron, who is from Tahiti, French Polynesia, was the target of several complaints from the Presidency of French Polynesia in December 2020 for violating the code of ethics, including prescribing hydroxychloroquine to 140 patients while he was retired, Libération News reported.

Now, a Sept. 23 video on Instagram shows Théron being arrested by several police officers while a crowd watches. Text in the video reads, “French doctor arrested after prescribing Ivermectin. Official charge: Practicing medicine in an itinerant way.” (RELATED: Did Nobel Laureate William Campbell Say Ivermectin Cures COVID-19?)

Some doctors have, according to Business Insider, claimed Ivermectin can treat or cure COVID-19, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved or authorized the drug for use in preventing or treating COVID-19 in humans or animals. The FDA website states current data does not show the drug to be an effective treatment of COVID-19.

Théron was not arrested for prescribing ivermectin. Check Your Fact found footage similar to the Instagram video posted by French news outlet Polynesia La Première on Sept. 20, explaining it showed Théron being arrested on a charge of violence. A bailiff on Sept. 16 visited Théron to notify him of a summons to appear before the Order of Physicians related to a previous complaint, and Théron allegedly threw objects at the bailiff’s face, the outlet reported.

The public prosecutor of the case, Hervé Leroy, further confirmed in a press meeting that the arrest was unrelated to Théron prescribing medication, according to Radio 1. When gendarmes went to Théron’s house on Sept. 18 to address the violence, Théron purportedly verbally assaulted them, and he was arrested on Sept. 20, the outlet reported. Théron refutes these allegations, according to Radio 1.