Fact Check: Old video of protest in Iran against Mahsa Amini’s death shared as recent incident
The video is from the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests in Amol where demonstrators clashed with security forces.
By Sibahathulla Sakib Published on 30 Sep 2024 3:50 PM GMT
Claim: The video shows a recent protest by Iranians against their regime.
Fact: The claim is false. The video is from 2022 during the Mahsa Amini protests in Iran.
Hyderabad: After reports of the Iran-backed Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasrallah being killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, a video claiming to show people protesting against the Iranian regime has gone viral.
A Facebook user shared the video with the caption: “Iran is kicking off. Iranian people defending themselves against the oppressive armed forces of the Islamic dictatorship in Iran.”
The eight-second clip shows a crowd of protesters throwing objects at a security vehicle, which is seen reversing while under attack.
Similar posts can be seen here and here.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video is old.
A reverse image search traced the video to a post from September 21, 2022, on an X account. The caption read: “Wow. Just wow. Protesters beat back regime forces in Amol, #Iran. #IranProtests #MahsaAmini,” indicates the footage is from protests following Mahsa Amini’s death.
This indicated that the video is old and is related to the death of Mahsa Amini: the 22-year-old who died in police custody in 2022 after being arrested for allegedly violating rules requiring women to wear the headscarf. Her death sparked protests unlike any the country had seen before, reported BBC.
Further investigation through keyword searches led to a report by the Independent, dated September 22, 2022, titled “Protesters rush towards police car in Amol as Iran demonstrations continue,” which featured the same video.
According to the report, the protests were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained by Iran’s morality police for allegedly wearing a loose hijab. Despite official claims that she died of a heart attack, her family disputed this, leading to widespread demonstrations.
A report by The Washington Post, titled ‘Anger against Iran’s ‘morality police’ erupts after death of Mahsa Amini,’ featured similar protest videos.
The report explained how the protests, initially focused on Amini’s death, quickly spread across the country, driven by anger at the regime’s oppressive policies.
Hence, the claim that the video shows recent protests in Iran is false. The footage is from the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests, not a current demonstration against the regime.
