A video of a marching band parade is circulating on social media with the claim that it depicts a private Muslim army marching in Kerala. “This is what is happening in a Hindu majority country,” wrote a user.

The video is widespread on Twitter with the above claim.

It is also circulating on Facebook.

Fact-check

The same video was posted on February 17, 2022 as an SDPI rally. SDPI is a political party affiliated with the Popular Front of India (PFI).

Alt News also performed a keyword search and found a video from February 17, 2020 that said the PFI took out a rally in Ernakulam, Kerala.

PFI Kerala had also shared a clip taken at the same rally.

A poster seen in the viral video resembles the one in the PFI march video. It reads, ‘Popular Front of India Unity March’ in Malayalam.

Malayalam media outlet Madhyamam also covered the rally in a February 18, 2020 report. This was a unity day march held on February 17, 2020.

PFI was established on February 17 in 2007 and members of the party annually celebrate the occasion.

To sum it up, a 2020 video of a PFI rally in Kerala was falsely circulated as a private Muslim army marching in the streets.

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About the Author

Kinjal Parmar holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. However, her keen interest in journalism, drove her to pursue journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. At Alt News since 2019, she focuses on authentication of information which includes visual verification, media misreports, examining mis/disinformation across social media. She is the lead video producer at Alt News and manages social media accounts for the organization.