Fact Check: Nepal protests – Police attacked with sticks, stones? Here are the facts
A video has been circulating on social media, claiming it shows a clash between Nepali youth and police in the country’s ongoing conflict.
By - Md Mahfooz Alam
Hyderabad: Nepal is currently experiencing a major political crisis as ‘Gen Z’ protesters took to the streets amid anger over a social media ban and ongoing corruption, with at least 19 people reportedly killed and over 100 injured in clashes with security forces.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned after protesters broke into Parliament and set it on fire.
Meanwhile, a video has been circulating on social media claiming it shows scenes from Nepal’s ongoing crisis, showing protesters attacking police with sticks, pelting them with stones and physically assaulting them while the officers attempt to shield themselves with riot gear.
An X user shared the video with the caption, “The parliament kept burning through the night in Nepal. The soldiers also kept getting beaten up like this. Does Gen-Z want such freedom of expression?” (Translated from Hindi) (Archive)
Archived versions of similar claims can be found here and here.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the video is from Indonesia.
Upon closer examination of the video, the word ‘polisi’ can be seen written on the riot gear, a term used for police in Indonesia, not Nepal, raising questions about the video’s actual location.
Further analysis comparing the riot gear in the video with equipment used by police forces in both countries confirms that the gear matches that of Indonesian police rather than Nepalese police.
A reverse image search of the video’s keyframes led us to an extended version published on YouTube on August 30, with the Indonesian title ‘POLISI VS MASSA PANDEMO GEGER GEDEN,’ which translates to ‘Police vs Demonstrator Masses - Major Chaos.’
In the video, we observed individuals wearing Grab food delivery service gear, including a distinctive helmet. We found that while Grab operates across Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, the service does not operate in Nepal.
According to Al Jazeera’s August 31 report, protests erupted across Indonesia in August following public outrage over lawmakers’ decision to award themselves new financial benefits.
Violent clashes ensued between riot police and protesters who demanded the withdrawal of these legislative perks, particularly amid reports of low wages for ordinary citizens. Tensions escalated nationwide after a video allegedly showing a delivery rider being run over by an armoured police vehicle went viral.
Therefore, we conclude that the viral video of the clash between people and police is from Indonesia, not Nepal. The claim is false.
