Fact Check: No 'Saffron Flood' In Dhaka As Old Video Of Political Rally Falsely Shared As Fresh Bangladesh Agitation

Fact Check: A video of a political rally is being falsely shared as a protest against recent violence targeting Hindus in Bangladesh. The viral video is from 2023 and shows a rally organised by the student wing of the Awami League.

Screenshots of claims on social media that link a 2023 video of a rally to the recent unrest in Bangladesh

Source : X/Modified

The Verdict [Misleading]

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The video predates the current violence in Bangladesh. It depicts a 2023 rally organized by the Chhatra League, the student wing of the Awami League.

What is the claim?

A 39-second video showing a rally of people in saffron clothing has been shared online with the claim that it depicts Hindus in Bangladesh protesting recent communal violence, which began as a student protest over quotas accorded to freedom fighters in government jobs.

On X (formerly Twitter), a user shared the video with a Hindi caption: “Saffron flood on the streets of Dhaka… Bangladeshi Hindus have come out on the streets to protest against the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh (sic).” The post, which included the hashtag #HinduLivesMatter, was shared over 3,000 times and received around 116,000 views. Archived versions of similar claims can be viewed here, here, and here. 

Screenshots of social media claims link a 2023 video of a rally to recent unrest in Bangladesh. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

The video in question, however, dates back to 2023 and shows a rally organized by the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the Awami League, which was the ruling party during ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s tenure.

What we found 

The Bangla slogan on the poster seen in the video at the front of the rally translates to “May the student rally be successful.”

This information and a reverse image search of keyframes from the video led us to a video uploaded on September 1, 2023 (archived here), by the Bangladeshi news portal Channel24. Titled “Leaders and activists in the BCL rally with a huge procession,” this video matches the viral footage.

Screenshot of a video from the rally. (Source: Channel24)

A Google search for “BCL rally” directed us to the Bangladesh Chhatra League’s Facebook page, where we found a post (archived here) featuring images similar to those in the viral video. The post's Bangla caption reads: “Gafargaon Upazila Chhatra League and Municipal Chhatra League in memory of 'Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatun Necha Mujib' (sic) organized by Bangladesh Chhatra League…”

Another Facebook post (archived here) from September 2023 by Fahmi Gulandaz Babel contains the same images and caption. Babel’s profile indicates he is a Member of Parliament in Bangladesh.

Using this information, we located a report by the Dhaka Tribune published on September 1, 2023. The report states that the rally, held by the Chhatra League in Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan, was addressed by former Prime Minister Hasina. The rally was organized to honor the ‘Father of the Nation’ Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib.

The rally was covered by multiple news outlets, including the Financial Express, NewAge, and news agency BSS.

Using Google Street View, we confirmed that the rally route included Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue. The buildings visible on Street View match those in the viral video.

A comparison of the same buildings as seen on Google Street View and in the viral video. (Source: X/ Google Street View) 

Current unrest in Bangladesh

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as chief advisor of the interim government in Bangladesh on August 8, 2024, following days of violence.

Former Prime Minister Hasina fled Bangladesh on August 5 amid protests that began in June 2024 over a 30 percent job quota for descendants of the 1971 independence war's freedom fighters. The protests evolved into anti-government agitation, resulting in at least 440 deaths as of August 6.

The verdict 

The viral video, which has been online since September 2023, is unrelated to the ongoing unrest in Bangladesh. It depicts a student rally organized by the Chhatra League in memory of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatun Necha Mujib.

(This report first appeared on logicallyfacts.com, and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. ABP Live has edited the headline and feature image of the report while republishing)