Fact Check: Viral ‘hate speech’ video is from stage play in Odisha
The visual is actually from a public performance and the crowd attacked the actors in the middle of the play.
Contributor - Md Mahfooz Alam & Sibahathulla Sakib | Published on 22 Sept 2024 4:46 PM IST
Claim: A video shows a Muslim delivering hate speech against Hindus and getting attacked for it.
Fact: The claim is misleading. The speech was a dialogue at a drama performance in Odisha.
Hyderabad: A video of a man allegedly giving a hate speech against Hindus has gone viral.
The 15-second clip shows a man in a kurta and topi (traditional Muslim attire), on a stage decorated with lights in the middle of a crowd, saying ‘we will convert all Hindus to Islam’ before being attacked by a man who climbs onto the stage.
An X user shared the video and wrote, “A peaceful was giving a speech against Hindus. A single Hindu man went on stage and gave him a GPL in front of the fringe mob. (sic)” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading.
We performed a search using relevant keywords and found an article published by Odishatv.in titled, ‘Too real to handle: Jatra villains thrashed by audience for devilish acting in Odisha’s Sambalpur’ dated September 11, 2024.
According to the report, this incident happened in the Naxapali area in Sambalpur district in Odisha while Swarna Mahala Opera was performing a play called ‘Swami Pain Narkaku Jibi’.
Further, the report stated that the acting was 'so real and devilish' that the audience became very reactive.
The report stated that the audience began hurling bottles at the stage after seeing the performance and hearing the dialogues of the villains. Subsequently, they climbed onto the stage and assaulted the actors.
This report also featured an image with a close resemblance to a frame in the viral video.
We also found that the viral clip was featured in a news report by Kalinga TV on their YouTube channel. Published on September 11, 2024, the video was titled ‘Emotionally-charged audience threw water bottles to Jollywood artists’.
The report also showed the clip where the actor with the hate speech dialogue was assaulted by a member of the audience. We compared the keyframes of the video with the viral clip and found them to be the same. Here is a comparison.
Hence, the claim that the video shows a Muslim delivering a hate speech in public is misleading. The footage is from a public performance and the crowd attacked the actors in the middle of the play
