Fact Check: Massive crowd gathering in Venezuela for Nicolas Maduro’s release? No, video shows fare hike protest in Chile
A video has been circulating online, claiming to show people gathered in Venezuela, demanding the release of Nicolas Maduro.
By - Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows people gathered demanding the release of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was abducted by the US on January 3.
Fact:The claim is false. The video shows a demonstration against a transportation fare hike in Chile in 2019.
Hyderabad: A video of a massive crowd listening to a band on stage has been circulating on social media. Those sharing the video claim it shows people in Venezuela demanding the release of their former President Nicolas Maduro, who was abducted by the US on January 3.
Sharing the video on X, a user wrote, “If the people fight united, they are invincible. The truth of Venezuela is this: the people demand the freedom of their kidnapped president. The information from Western media is a lie and seeks to divide the Chavista movement, but it is not succeeding.”
Another user wrote while sharing the video, “THE FASCISTS MUST FEEL THE REVOLT OF THE ENTIRE WORLD. The people fighting united are invincible. USA RETURN MADURO TO VENEZUELA. The people demand the liberation of President Maduro, and the information from Western media is false.”
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the video shows a demonstration against a transportation fare hike in Chile in 2019.
What is the video about?
A Google reverse search of the keyframes of the video led us to an X profile that shared the video on October 26, 2020. The post did not provide any information about the video, but the people in the comments stated that it shows a demonstration in Chile.
We also found the video published by the YouTube channel, Inti-Illimani, on December 14, 2019. The video is titled, ‘The people united will never be defeated.’ Going by the information in the caption, we found that it is a famous Chilean protest song composed by Sergio Ortega in 1973.
We also found the video published by the media outlet Independent Turkey on December 15, 2019. According to the media outlet, the video shows the protest against the transportation fare increase at Santiago’s Palce de Honor in Chile. The protestors had sung the protest song alongside the Illamani group.
Taking these leads, we conducted a keyword search and media reports (links here and here) stating that protests began in mid-October 2019 in Santiago, Chile, triggered by a subway fare increase.
An October 2019 report of Al Jazeera stated that an emergency in the capital Santiago was declared after a day of violent protests over an increase in the price of metro rapid transit system tickets.
Therefore, we conclude that the viral video does not show people gathered demanding the release of Nicolas Maduro. The claim is false.
