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AFP
4 days ago
- Politics
- AFP
Football riot clip falsely linked to Thailand-Cambodia dispute
"Misfortune occurred after Thailand sealed the border," reads the Thai-language caption of a Facebook video viewed more than three million times since it was posted on June 15. "See Cambodia is doomed. The leader led his people to ruin," reads text superimposed over the clip depicting hundreds of people rushing at officers behind a gate. Similar posts linking the video to turmoil in Cambodia surfaced elsewhere on Facebook, YouTube and TikTok after longstanding tensions with neighbouring Thailand escalated into cross-border clashes in late May, with one Cambodian soldier killed. Image Screenshot of the false post taken on July 1, 2025, with a red X added by AFP Thailand closed several of its border crossings with Cambodia, while the latter halted imports of fuel, fruits and vegetables, banned Thai dramas from TV and cinemas, and cut internet bandwidth from Thailand (archived link). Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended pending a probe into her ethics after the audio of a diplomatic call between the two sides intended to sooth the spat was leaked, triggering public outrage. However, the circulating video was in fact taken in Indonesia. A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video, along with keyword searches, led to a longer version of the same footage published on TikTok on May 26, 2025 (archived link). Its Indonesian-language description includes a location tag for "Gelora Bandung Lautan Api Stadium, Bandung City," in the western part of Indonesia's Java island. Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left) and the TikTok video posted in May (right) Elements in the video correspond to Google Maps Street View imagery of the area outside the sport stadium from March 2020, which shows the back of a sign over a gate, the same guard house and a mosque dome in the background, which has since been repainted (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the TikTok video (left) and Google Street View imagery (right), with corresponding elements highlighted by AFP According to Indonesian media reports, thousands of supporters of the Persib Bandung football team with no tickets tried to force their way into the stadium during a final match on May 24, leading to the clashes (archived here and here). AFP has fact-checked other misinformation related to the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute.
AFP
5 days ago
- Politics
- AFP
Video does not show 'Israeli air force defection' in war with Iran
"Israel air force had quit and left their fighter planes to save the life of both countries / Good decision, soldiers!" reads Tagalog-language sticker text on a Facebook reel shared on June 20. It shows a group of men and women in uniform walking along a road with sirens and horns heard in the background. Several other Facebook posts peddled the same claim, while another version claims the video shows the Iranian army "walking out" from the war. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post taken on July 6, 2025, with the red X mark added by AFP Following a US-announced ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to prevent Iran from ever rebuilding its nuclear facilities, raising the prospect of further conflict. However, the circulating clip was shared months before the war and shows an unrelated event. Tel Aviv protest Google reverse image searches of the video's keyframes led to an X post by Israeli journalist Bar Peleg on November 6, 2024 (archived here and here). The Hebrew-language description states border police officers at the Ayalon highway were moving to extinguish bonfires during a protest. At the clip's five-second mark, a woman in uniform can be seen holding a fire extinguisher. Image Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the identical footage uploaded to X in November 2024 Peleg shared another similar clip minutes later, saying the police were not attempting to clear protesters on the road (archived link). AFP published footage from a protest in Tel Aviv against the sacking of defence minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024, which shows demonstrators had set fires along a stretch of the Ayalon highway in the city (archived link). The 2022 Google Maps Street View of a portion of the Ayalon highway shows the same skyscraper named "Electra" on the left side of the highway (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the Google Maps Street View of the Ayalon Highway, with corresponding elements highlighted by AFP Other identical features from the falsely shared video include the bridge's V-shaped vertical support and the mid-rise buildings at the background (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the Google Maps Street View of the Ayalon Highway, with corresponding elements highlighted by AFP AFP has debunked several other clips falsely linked to the Iran-Israel war here.
AFP
19-03-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Video shows Duterte greeting supporters in Hong Kong, not Netherlands
"Update on Duterte. He is so happy to see his supporters in The Netherlands, before he was taken to the hospital," reads the caption and text over a TikTok video shared March 13. The clip, which garnered more than 250,000 views, appears to show Duterte looking out of a window and waving at a crowd gathered on the street below. Several other pro-Duterte TikTok users reshared the video alongside similar claims. Image Screenshot of the false TikTok video taken March 19, 2025 Duterte was arrested at the Manila airport on March 11 after a brief trip to Hong Kong. He was quickly flown to the Netherlands just hours later and turned over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) (archived link). The 79-year-old, the first Asian former head of state charged by the ICC, stands accused of the crime against humanity of murder for his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups have said killed thousands. He failed to attend an initial hearing at the ICC in person and spoke briefly through a videolink to confirm his name and date of birth. The tribunal has set the next hearing to confirm his charges on September 23 (archived link). no official reports that Duterte has engaged with his supporters while detained in The Hague -- and the circulating video was taken in Hong Kong the weekend before his arrest. Footage from Hong Keyword searches found video spread on Facebook on 9 -- two days before Duterte's transfer to The Hague (archived link). "ATM: OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) in Hong Kong warmly welcome FPRRD (Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) and are waiting for him outside the Southorn Stadium," the caption reads. Image Screenshot comparison of the false video (L) and the March 9 clip Another video on TikTok shows a slightly different angle of the former Philippine president (archived link). Chinese-language text in the clip corresponds to signage on a Hong Kong tram promoting a museum for footballer Cristiano Image Screenshot comparison of the false video (L) and a photo of the Hong Kong tram from Flickr, with elements highlighted by AFP AFP confirmed the location of the by comparing it with Google Maps Street View imagery of the Southorn Stadium area in Hong Kong's Wan Chai district (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the false video (L) and Google Maps Street View outside the Southorn Stadium Duterte's PDP Laban party published several similar photos from the Hong Kong event (archived link). AFP has debunked a spate of misinformation related to Duterte's arrest here.
AFP
04-03-2025
- General
- AFP
Video of burning Indonesia compound sparks false claims in Bangladesh
"Fire is raging at mosques across India. Oh Allah please save the world's Muslims It shares an 18-second video showing a building on fire, and has been viewed thousands of times since it was uploaded on December 22, 2024. (archived link). Image Screenshot of the false post, taken on March 3 The video was shared elsewhere on Facebook along with the false claim. But the building in the video is in fact a mosque in Indonesia and there have been no official reports of mosques burned in India. A Google reverse image search with keyframes of the clip found a longer video showing the similar scene in an Instagram post published on December 8, 2024 (archived link). The Indonesian-language caption of the post reads, "Luwuk Banggai Central Market Complex fire". Image Screenshot comparison of the video in the false post (left) and on Instagram Google Maps Street View imagery corresponded to the scene in the false post (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the building seen in the false post (left) and on Google Maps Street View AFP has debunked other false claims related to the unrests in Bangladesh.
