Fact Check: Video from 2020 Bangladesh protest falsely passed off as support rally for Tripura Muslims
Amid unrest in Tripura, an old video of a massive protest in Bangladesh has gone viral with the claim that it was organized in support of Muslims in Tripura.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 8 Nov 2021 10:22 AM GMT
Hyderabad: There have been several riots in Tripura since the beginning of October. The situation deteriorated after several rallies were taken out resulting in attacks on a small mosque, shops, and houses belonging to families of the Minority community. Section 144 was imposed and the police filed charges under UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) against a group of Supreme Court lawyers.
Amid this, a video of a massive protest has gone viral with the claim that it was organized in support of Muslims in Tripura. Several Facebook users shared the video with hashtags like #StandwithTripuraMuslims, #TripuraMuslimsUnderAttack, #tripuraattrack, and #SaveTripuraMuslims.
Fact Check
The claim is false.
NewsMeter performed an Invid search and found similar visuals in a news report by Associated Press from 2 November 2020. The report said tens of thousands of Muslims had marched on the streets of Bangladesh's capital Dhaka against the French President's support of secular laws that allow caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. The protest was organized by the Hefazat-e-Islam group and took place outside the main Baitul Mokarram Mosque in downtown Dhaka. The protestors chanted "Down with France" and "Boycott French Products".
The same was also reported by Voice of America (VOA) News and AFP news agency. The French President had been the target of protests in several countries over his comments over a teacher in a Paris suburb who was decapitated for showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed to his pupils. Protestors had burnt an effigy of President Emmanuel Macron after he defended cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed. Turkish news website Beyaz Gazete had reported the same too.
Clearly, the viral video is from a protest rally in Bangladesh and is not linked to the Tripura unrest. Thus, the claim is false.
