Video shows protest in Indonesia, not Muslims clashing with officers in France
- Published on June 11, 2026 at 11:23
- 3 min read
- By Devesh MISHRA, AFP India
Months-old clips of Indonesian protesters skirmishing with police has resurfaced in posts falsely claiming it shows Muslims attacking French police. The clips circulated after violent clashes between youths and police in French cities on the night of May 30, but previously circulated months earlier during protests in Indonesia initially sparked by discontent over economic inequality.
The video, comprising two clips of people throwing stones at uniformed personnel positioned behind shields, was shared on Facebook on June 3, 2026.
Its Hindi-language caption says it shows French police hiding and taking cover.
"The Uttar Pradesh police are better than this, offering no jail, no bail, and direct access to 72 Houri," it says, with "houri" referring to heavenly companions that Islamic scripture say are promised to the faithful in paradise.
And referring to Hindu hardliner Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh's chief minister, the caption adds: "Only the Yogi model can save the world from Muslim terror" (archived link).
During his tenure, Hindu mobs have launched a spate of attacks over so-called cow protection -- the cow being a sacred animal for many Hindus -- and committed other hate crimes that have sown fear among the state's Muslim population (archived link).
The clips were also shared in similar Facebook and Instagram posts after violent clashes broke out in Paris and other French cities on the evening of May 30, following Paris Saint-Germain's victory in the Champions League final.
AFP reported that overnight celebrations were blighted by clashes between youths and police in Paris and other cities, with cars set on fire and shops looted (archived link). One man died riding his motorbike around the Paris ring road in celebration while authorities reported stabbings and other attacks.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 890 people had been arrested and nearly 180 law enforcement officers had been injured.
The footage circulating on social media, however, was not filmed in France and in fact shows a protest in Indonesia.
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the first falsely shared clip led to a longer version published by Indonesia's Tribun Medan on YouTube on August 29, 2025 (archived link).
"Protesters attack and throw stones at police," says its Indonesian-language title. The Indonesian-language word for police can also be seen on shields.
The protests had started in late August 2025 over the lavish perks enjoyed by members of parliament, and turned violent against the country’s elite paramilitary police unit after footage showed one of its teams running over a 21‑year‑old delivery driver (archived link).
The video's description says it occurred outside the North Sumatra parliament building, and the footage matches Google Street View imagery of the area (archived link).
AFP previously debunked posts that linked the same footage to protests in Nepal in September 2025.
A separate reverse image search using keyframes from the second falsely shared clip led to a similar video shared on YouTube with the Indonesian-language caption: "Violent protest at the North Sumatra Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) on August 28, 2025" (archived link).
A similar video filmed from a different angle was also posted on Facebook on August 28, 2025 (archived link).
The footage corresponds to Google Street View imagery of the road outside the North Sumatra parliament building (archived link).
AFP has debunked other false claims about the recent protests in France.
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