Fact-Check: Old Video From Chile Linked to Anti-Hijab Protests in Iran
We found that the video shows is from Santiago, Chile and it dates back to 2019.
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A video of a protest which shows naked women demonstrating on the streets is being shared on social media with a claim that the video is from the anti-hijab protests in Iran, which broke out after the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini while she was in the custody of the country's 'morality police'.
The protests in the country have snowballed into demonstrations and protests in several other parts of the world. As per reports, since the beginning of these protests, over 200 people have been killed so far.
However, this video is being falsely linked to Iran. We found that the video is from Santiago, Chile and it dates back to 2019. Reportedly, it shows a demonstration against the former Chilean President and the police.
CLAIM
The video is being shared with a claim that reads, "Anti Hijab protest now escalated to a Topless protest in Iran. From removing of hijab to throwing of hijab to burning of hijab to cleaning of shoes by hijab! From opening of face to opening of breasts to opening of waist!! It will now be straight to bottomless to No-clothes tomorrow!!! (sic)"
We also received a query about this video on our WhatsApp tipline number.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
On carefully observing the video, we noticed a clear shot of a building in the background.
Screenshot from the video.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
We conducted a reverse image search on it using Google Lens and found that it was 'Pontifical Catholic University' in Santiago, Chile. A comparison between the available Street View of the university on Google Maps and the building seen in the viral video can be seen below.
(Source: Facebook/Google Maps/Screenshot)
Using the location as the first clue, we conducted a keyword search in Spanish using words like "naked protest Pontifical Catholic University anti-government" and came across an article published on a portal, El Cooperante, on 26 November 2019, which showed similar scenes.
The article was published on 26 November 2019.
(Source: El Cooperante/Screenshot)
The article mentioned that the protest started in October due to an increase in transportation costs, but later gained momentum and grew into an expression of anger against the growing inequality in the country.
Another keyword search led us to an article published on 16 December 2019, which carried the video that is now viral. The report added that after 59 days of the protests, this demonstration was held outside the Catholic University was against the 'abuses committed by the police'.
It added that the video showed a large figure of former Chilean President Sebastián Piñera controlling a police officer. We found several news articles on Reuters, BBC, and The New York Times about the protests that erupted in the country.
Clearly, a video from 2019 is being falsely linked to the protests in Iran to claim that it is from the anti-hijab protests.
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