Posts misrepresent video of Muslim procession in Australia as 'immigrant invasion'

"50,000 Muslim immigrants marching in Melbourne chanting 'we are awaiting orders'," reads text overlaid on an Instagram video shared on August 15, 2025.

The clip, which was viewed more than 88,100 times, shows a crowd of people mostly clad in black marching past Parliament House in Melbourne while chanting in Arabic.

Its caption reads: "Let's show 'em on August 31st... March For Australia!"

The centre-left government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is facing vociferous criticism from right-wing politicians and groups over its policies, which culminated in anti-immigration marches on August 31 in major Australian cities -- including Melbourne -- where thousands protested against "mass migration" (archived here and here). 

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Screenshot of the false Instagram post captured on September 2, 2025, with the red X added by AFP

The video was also shared in similar Facebook and Instagram posts, with one claiming Muslim migrants were "living next door" and "ready to attack us".

"When will people wake up and realise it's an invasion?" read a comment on one of the posts, while another said: "They are going to start a war in a Christian country."

The clip also gained attention outside of Australia, with users in England, Egypt and Canada sharing it across several social media platforms.

But it does not show a march organised by immigrants, nor are the people chanting about "awaiting orders". There have also been no official reports about such a march in Melbourne.

The claim has also previously been debunked by Reuters (archived link).

Ashura procession

A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to the same footage posted on July 7 on TikTok, where it was captioned "Melbourne city Ashura procession today" (archived link).

On the Muslim holy day of Ashura, Shia Muslims commemorate the seventh-century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussain (archived link).

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Comparison between screenshots of the false post shared by an Australian user and a TikTok video, both taken on September 2 with the red X added by AFP

AFP reached out to the user for comment, but did not receive a response.

Footage of earlier Ashura processions posted by the same user and Australian broadcaster SBS shows participants marching past the same hotel seen in the falsely circulating video (archived here and here).

The Imperial Hotel is opposite Parliament House where the annual procession pauses for speeches (archived link).

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Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left), footage from the 2019 Ashura procession (top right) and a clip of the 2023 procession (bottom right), with the hotel highlighted by AFP

A spokesperson for the Ashura Committee, which helps organise the procession, also told AFP the circulating video shows the annual event in Melbourne (archived link).

He said about 15,000 to 20,000 people -- the "vast majority" Australian citizens -- attended the Ashura festivities.

"This procession is one form of the commemoration -- we come out publicly to say there's no form of injustice that can be allowed to exist in the world," the spokesperson said on September 1.

As for the chant heard in the clip, the spokesperson said it was "Labaik ya Hussain".

"When the army of the government had killed all of Imam Hussain's companions and he was left alone, he let out a cry saying, 'Is there anyone there that would come to my aid?' so 'Labaik ya Hussain' is the response to that cry -- that if we were there, we would come to your aid," he explained.

Another video from the 2025 procession of participants near St. Patrick's Cathedral was earlier misleadingly shared online in posts -- including from British anti-Islam campaigner Tommy Robinson -- claiming it showed "an act of dominance" and "intimidation of Christians" (archived link).

Melbourne's Archbishop Peter Comensoli spoke out against those misrepresenting the procession on July 23, saying it was "a peaceful event that has occurred annually for over a decade" (archived link).

"Like all Victorians, the Islamic community is entitled to exercise freedom of religion. As Catholics, we expect nothing less," he said.

Victoria Police also told AFP "the crowd was well behaved".

"There were no incidents during the event that were reported to police," they told AFP in an email on September 1, adding that "Victoria Police respect the right for individuals to practice their faith peacefully".

AFP has fact-checked other misleading claims about migration in Australia.