Old visuals misrepresented as recent Bangladesh rallies for ousted prime minister's party
- Published on July 1, 2026 at 01:53
- 2 min read
- By Eyamin SAJID, AFP Bangladesh
A now-banned political party affiliated with Bangladesh's ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina marked its 77th anniversary in late June, holding rallies in various parts of the country that were met with heightened security measures. But videos circulating on social media showing people marching on the streets wielding sticks and spears were not taken during this year's rallies. They were in fact filmed in 2024 when Awami League workers were rallying in support of Hasina, who had just fled to neighbouring India following a student-led uprising.
"Gopalganj district Awami League's protest procession marking the 77th founding anniversary of the Bangladesh Awami League," reads a Bengali-language Facebook post shared on June 23, 2026.
A 32-second clip attached with the post shows a large crowd armed with sticks moving on a road. Chants of "Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Hasina, you don't need to be afraid, we did not leave the streets" can be heard.
Another video shared in a Facebook post on June 21 also claims it shows a rally in Bangladesh ahead of the party's Foundation Day anniversary.
The footage shows a gigantic crowd brandishing weapons like scythes, swords, javelins and sticks.
Similar footage circulated in posts on Facebook around the 77th founding anniversary of the now-disbanded Awami League party (archived link).
Authorities in Bangladesh deployed the military across six districts to maintain law and order, and dozens of Hasina loyalists and Awami League activists were arrested across the country for organising processions and attempting to assemble in large numbers (archived here and here).
The Awami League was outlawed on May 10, 2025, following Hasina's ouster in a student-led uprising in August 2024 (archived link). She currently lives in self-imposed exile in India and has defied an arrest warrant from Dhaka over charges of crimes against humanity (archived here).
Thousands of her party activists have since been arrested under the current rule of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which has been in power since February 2026 (archived link).
While her party still has some support within the country, the videos are not of the most recent anniversary rallies.
Old protests
Reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the first falsely shared clip found the same video shared in a Facebook account on August 6, 2024 (archived link).
The Bengali language post is captioned: "Our battle continues and will go on. Sheikh Hasina, march forward, we are with you."
Text on top of the video frame reiterates the caption, while the bottom reads "Gopalganj is roiling".
Hasina's hometown Gopalganj district used to be an Awami League stronghold (archived link).
The protest was also reported by local broadcaster Channel 24 on August 6, 2024, which published footage taken around the same spot at a different angle (archived link).
For the second false video, a Bengali-language keyword search brought up a Facebook post shared on August 11, 2024 (archived link). Its caption reads, "Awami League rally in Gopalganj with shields and spears".
Bangladeshi media outlets reported on the protests in Hasina's hometown where thousands of her party leaders, activists, and locals gathered to demand her return to the country (archived here and here).
AFP has previously debunked misinformation surrounding Bangladesh politics.
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