The video of an anti-government protest in Belarus in 2020 has been falsely shared on social media as footage of a far-right London march in October 2024. The 19-second video shows a large crowd waving red and white flags with an overlapping text that reads “Unite the kingdom”, along with false claims that 300,000 British nationalists gathered in London on the 26th of October. The video also includes references to far-right activist Tommy Robinson. However, with the help of reverse image search, it has been revealed that the video actually shows an anti-government protest in the Belarusian capital of Minsk in August 2020. The video features Minsk’s Independence Street and Independence Square, as well as the Government House amongst surrounding buildings.
Protests in Belarus erupted after President Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in the 2020 presidential election with 80% of the vote. His main challenger, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and her supporters refused to recognize the results, alleging that the election was rigged. This led to more than 100,000 people taking to the streets of Minsk on consecutive Sundays to protest against Lukashenko, who was starting his sixth term in office. The protesters demanded the resignation of Lukashenko and the release of political prisoners. Despite police using water cannons to disperse the crowds, the demonstrators remained resolute in their demands. Lukashenko, on the other hand, denied the allegations of election fraud and accused foreign powers of inciting the protests.
The false claims surrounding the video of the Minsk protests being portrayed as a far-right London march demonstrate the spread of misinformation on social media. The video’s misrepresentation has misled viewers into believing that a large demonstration in London by British nationalists actually took place, when in reality, it was footage from an anti-government protest in Belarus. This incident underscores the importance of verifying information before sharing it online, as the dissemination of false content can perpetuate misinformation and contribute to the spread of inaccuracies. It also highlights how easily manipulated videos can be used to create false narratives and deceive audiences.
The use of technology, such as reverse image search, has played a crucial role in debunking the false claims made about the video circulating on social media. By analyzing the landmarks and buildings shown in the footage, experts were able to confirm that the video was captured in Minsk, Belarus, during the protests against Lukashenko’s disputed re-election. This demonstrates the power of fact-checking tools in identifying misinformation and setting the record straight when false information is being shared widely. It also emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and research in verifying the authenticity of content shared on social media platforms.
As the protests in Belarus continued, international attention turned to the situation in the country, with many countries condemning the violent crackdown on demonstrators by the Lukashenko regime. The European Union and the United States imposed sanctions on Belarus, calling for the release of political prisoners and respecting the rights of the Belarusian people to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. The protests in Belarus highlighted the power of collective action and unity in demanding accountability from authoritarian governments, as well as the role of social media in amplifying the voices of those seeking democratic change. The false portrayal of the Minsk protests as a far-right London demonstration serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of misinformation and the need for vigilance in verifying the accuracy of content shared online.
