A viral claim on social media that a 'Muslim immigrant' started the massive fire at the Vondelkerk church in Amsterdam has been debunked.
The church, built in 1880, was left completely damaged in the fire, with most of the structure burnt down.
Residents suggested the fire may have been triggered by New Year’s fireworks, which seem the likely cause, per multiple reports.
The fire started around 1am local time on New Year's Eve in the tower and then spread to the rest of the structure.
A report by Justice for Prosperity, a Dutch extremism monitoring group, noted how the fire was quickly framed as a 'jihadist' or 'Muslim terrorist' attack on social media.
The report found that about 20% of early social media posts pushed this narrative as targeted disinformation, despite ongoing investigations finding no evidence of arson or terrorism.
The Vondelkerk, designed by architect Pierre Cuypers, was originally a Roman Catholic church and later used as a concert and event venue after it was deconsecrated in the 1970s.
