The banned Bangladesh Chhatra League called a nationwide all-out strike for today (10 November). Around the programme, a video is being shared on social media with the claim that Awami League leaders and activists have taken a stand facing police in support of the strike.
The videos being shared have more than a thousand shares and reactions. Comments on the posts show that most users take the video to be a recent scene of Awami League leaders and activists on the streets over the Chhatra League strike.
What we found
The video shows police officers standing on one side of a road and a large crowd on the other, many of them filming on their phones. Slogans in the name of the Awami League, whose activities are banned, can also be heard.
A reverse image search of several key frames led to a video on a Facebook page named “Feruz Kobir Akash”. It was posted at 11:38am on 4 November with the caption “Garment workers protest again in Hemayetpur over pay rise”. Further searching found a longer version of the video on a YouTube channel named “Kawsar Green Farm”, uploaded on 3 November this year under the title “Garment workers’ protest, Savar Hemayetpur”. The longer version shows the same place, the same police line and the same gathering of workers.
The upload dates and titles make clear that the video was filmed during a protest by garment workers in Hemayetpur, Savar, demanding higher pay. Garment workers have recently protested across the country for a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000.
Verdict
The video shared as showing Awami League leaders and activists facing police during the Chhatra League strike is misleading. It shows a protest by garment workers in Hemayetpur, Savar, demanding higher pay.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report