BNP’s torch rally video falsely portrayed as Awami League procession 

A video has recently been circulated on Facebook with the claim that Awami League supporters were holding a torch rally to protect the country. However, Dismislab’s fact-check found the claim false. The video actually shows a torch rally held by BNP and its affiliated organisations on July 31.

The video was posted from a Facebook profile on August 7. The 23-second video shows a procession moving forward along the road, holding torches and chanting slogans. Women can be seen at the front. A logo reading “News Bangla” appears on the left side of the video. The post caption reads, “Awami League is holding a torch rally in the movement to protect the country…” Before this report was published, the video had received more than 2,900 reactions and had been shared more than 200 times.

The video was posted with the same claim from several Facebook pages and personal accounts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).

To verify the claim, Dismislab conducted a reverse image search using several keyframes. The search led to a video published on July 31 this year on the Facebook page named News Bangla. The video carried the text, “Ishraque Hossain shows a show of strength with torches against NCP.” The 23-second video exactly matches the circulated video.

Further verification through keyword searches led to news reports about the incident published by several media outlets (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). According to a report published by Bangla Tribune on August 1, “A torch rally was held under the leadership of Dhaka-6 lawmaker and State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Ishraque Hossain in protest against ‘derogatory remarks’ about Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and other prominent politicians.” According to the report, the torch rally began at Malitola Park in the capital on July 31 and ended at Naya Paltan.

Therefore, the circulated video does not show an Awami League rally, but a scene from a BNP torch procession.