As protests in Nepal spiralled, several users on X circulated a clip showing a group of police personnel taking cover under their riot shields as protesters continued with their attacks. Throughout the clip, about 35 seconds long, protesters can be seen charging at cops, kicking their riot shields and hitting them with sticks.
Enraged by the corrupt and repressive actions of former Prime Minister KP Oli Sharma’s regime, the youth of Nepal led a massive wave of protests, which culminated in his resignation on September 9. As many as 30 people lost their lives after police opened fire to curb the demonstrations, leaving hundreds injured.
LP Pant (@pantlp), the national editor of Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar, posted the viral video of cops taking shelter using riot shields on September 10. The Hindi caption debated methods used by protesters in Nepal. An archived version of the now-deleted X post can be accessed here.
The same video was shared by Indian news outlet Molitics (@moliticsindia). The caption, in Hindi, drew attention to protesters’ attacks on cops who seemed to be desperately trying to defend themselves. This post was also later deleted. (Archive)
The video was also viral on Facebook with the same claim. Screenshots below:
Fact Check
On going through the viral video, we noticed that the word ‘polisi‘ is on the riot gear used. We compared this with an image of the riot gear used by the Nepal Police and found the two to be different.
Thereafter, we broke down the viral video into key frames. A reverse image search on one such key frame led us to this YouTube short, which comprised the same viral clip, besides other footage of the police forces mediating in what looked like civic unrest. The caption, ‘Indonesiabelum Merdeka’, translates to ‘Indonesia before independence.’
We also came across this YouTube video, uploaded on August 30 — which includes the same footage as the viral clip. The caption, which is in Indonesian, translates to ‘Police v masses, Huge demonstration.’
Taking cue from these two videos, we checked to see if the Indonesian police forces used similar riot gear as that in the viral clip.
We could ascertain that the gear matched, which proves that the clip is not connected to Nepal, but instead, has to do with the anti-establishment protests in Indonesia. The protests, which began with youth and labour unions demanding lower housing allowances for lawmakers, snowballed into a major movement after an armoured vehicle of the paramilitary forces ran over a 21-year-old delivery worker on August 28. In the following days, tensions escalated between protesters and the police, culminating in one of the most violent protests Indonesia has seen in recent times. The demonstrations led to thousands being arrested and seven casualties.
In conclusion, the video has been shared by several users on social media, including the national editor of Dainik Bhaskar, with the incorrect context that it shows police being attacked during protests in Nepal. Alt News found that the video is from the protests in Indonesia that transpired in late August.
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