Photo shows Pakistani flag waved in New York not Dhaka after Bangladesh PM ousted

"The most favourable picture came out. For the first time since 1971, Dhaka raised the flag of Pakistan over Bangladesh," read part of the Urdu-language caption to a photo shared on X on August 5, 2024.

Bangladesh won its independence from Pakistan in 1971 after a brutal conflict that killed an estimated three million people.

The caption continued: "Many people were surprised by this flag. Who is this young man who gave a silent message?"

A photo attached to the post, which was viewed more than 35,000 times, shows a group of masked men holding up the Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Palestinian flags on top of a steel structure.

It was shared on the day that Bangladesh's prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country after more than a month of deadly protests (archived link).

The demonstrations erupted over the reintroduction of a quota scheme that reserved more than half of all government jobs for certain groups, and they escalated into calls for Hasina to step down despite the scheme being scaled back.

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Screenshot of the false X post, captured on August 8, 2024

The same photo was shared alongside similar claims elsewhere on X here and here and on Facebook here and here.

The photo, however, was taken in the United States, not Bangladesh.

Pro-Palestinian protesters

Reverse image and keyword searches led to similar footage posted on the verified YouTube channel of LLN NYC on October 29, 2023 (archived link).

The video is titled "Palestine Protestors Shut Down Brooklyn Bridge NYC 10.28.23" and appears to show the same group of masked individuals waving the Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Palestinian flags at its 3:53 mark.

Pakistan and Bangladesh have both condemned Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza (archived links here and here).

Below is a screenshot comparison of the image used in the false posts (left) and the YouTube video (right): 

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Screenshot comparison of the image used in the false posts (left) and the YouTube video (right)

AFP reported that thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters poured onto the streets of New York's largest district on October 29, 2023 to voice their anger at Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip (archived link).

The Gaza war began with Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Militants also seized 251 people, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory military offensive in Gaza has killed at least 39,897 people, according to the territory's health ministry, which does not provide details on civilian and militant deaths.

Elements of the falsely shared image also correspond to Google Maps imagery of the Brooklyn Bridge (archived link).

Below is a screenshot comparison between the falsely shared image (left) and Google Maps imagery of the bridge (right), with corresponding features highlighted by AFP:

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Screenshot comparison between the falsely shared image (left) and Google Maps imagery of the bridge (right)

AFP has previously debunked false claims linked to the protests in Bangladesh here, here and here.