FACT CHECK: VIDEO OF STUDENT RALLY FALSELY PROJECTED AS HINDU PROTESTS AFTER PM OUSTER IN BANGLADESH

Fri 30 August 2024:

An old video of a demonstration held by student supporters of Bangladesh’s former ruling party, the Awami League, has reappeared on social media with the bogus allegation that it shows Hindus protesting in Dhaka following incidents of violence against them.

“Saffron floods the streets of Dhaka. Hindus of Bangladesh have taken to the streets to protest against the attacks on them,” read the Hindi-language caption of a video shared on social media platform X.

The post has been viewed over 95,000 times since it was published on August 10 and contained a video that shows a huge crowd of people, mostly clad in orange, marching in the streets.

Hindus are the largest minority ethnic group in Bangladesh and are considered a steadfast support base for Hasina’s party, the Awami League (archived link).

The false claim was also shared in another post on X and Facebook.

But the video is old and does not show a protest by Hindus in Bangladesh.

2023 student rally

A reverse image search found a video showing the same scene was uploaded to YouTube on September 2, 2023 (archived link).

The Bengali caption said the video shows a “massive procession” in Dhaka led by a leader from the Awami League, Fahmi Gulandaz Babel.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the video in the false post (left) and the YouTube video (right).

Screenshot comparison of the video in the false post (left) and YouTube video (right)

Babel also uploaded pictures showing the same parade on September 1, 2023 on his Facebook account (archived link).

Bangladeshi outlet Channel 24 uploaded a video on September 1, 2023 showing a similar scene (archived link).

The caption said the rally was held by the Bangladesh Chhatra League — a student political wing of Awami League founded by Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman — to commemorate Rahman and his wife Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib.

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