UK riot fake-monger shared unverified ‘Bangladeshi Hindus under attack’ videos
A British national and far right activist, who has been involved in fake-mongering during UK riots, shared unverified videos showing Muslims attacking Bangladeshi Hindus, BBC Verify has found.
[BBC Verify image]
London: A British national and far right activist, who has been involved in fake-mongering during UK riots, shared unverified videos showing Muslims attacking Bangladeshi Hindus, BBC Verify has found.
Reports of attacks on Temples and Bangladeshi Hindus were widely reported by a section of mainstream Indian media and right wing influencers after the resignation of Sheikh Hasina and consequent running away from Bangladesh.
The reporting by Indian media about the “widespread attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh” with provocative and inflammatory titles such as “Genocide of Hindus”, “Bangladeshi Hindus under attack”, “Bangladesh mei bagawat, Aafat mein Hindus” and others also fuelled communal tension in India, leading to attacks on Indian Muslims in several parts of the country.
However, BBC Verify fact check analysis of videos and photos used by the Indian media showing attacks on Bangladeshi Hindus were found to be fake, fabricated or misrepresented.
What’s worse, BBC Verify also found that Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who uses the name Tommy Robinson – a British far-right activist criticised for posting inflammatory messages about the violent riots targeting Muslims and immigrants across the United Kingdom, shared unverified videos from Bangladesh, claiming there is “a genocide on Hindus”.
BBC Verify analysed a video showing a woman pleading for her husband’s life as her home was attacked and shared online by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon claiming “the property is being targeted by “Islamists”.
“We were told by a group of local students who had assisted the woman in defending her property that the dispute was about an entirely different matter. They shared photos and videos of the clean-up with the BBC which show the property as seen in the original video. The Hindu temple inside the property is unharmed”, BBC Verify said in a report.
The provocative and inflammatory reporting by the Indian media and social media users that prompted attacks on Muslims in India, was slammed by even the Hindu organisations of Bangladesh.
Also Read: Why PM Modi’s concern about Bangladeshi Hindus has no takers?
The Bangladeshi Hindu organisations not only refuted “widespread attacks” on the minorities in the country but also said the Hindus loyal to Sheikh Hasina were targeted as their Muslim counterparts.
“The attacks on Hindus or Muslims were for political reason, and not communal as reported in India”, a grand alliance of Bangladeshi Hindus said.
BBC Verify investigations confirmed the assertions of the Bangladeshi Hindus.
“AFP fact-checker for Bangladesh, Qadaruddin Shishir, told the BBC that there have been attacks on Hindu-owned properties.
“But, he said, right-wing Indian accounts are spreading these politically motivated attacks as religious ones”, the BBC reported.
The BBC Verify also found that a viral video showing burning of a temple to be actually of Awami League office.
“One viral post claimed to show a temple set on fire by “Islamists in Bangladesh”. However, BBC Verify has determined that this building, identified as the Navagraha Temple in Chittagong, was undamaged by the incident which actually occurred at a nearby Awami League party office”, the British broadcaster reported.
The Hindu organisations in Bangladesh also asserted that following the reporting of Indian media regarding on attacks on minorities in the country, students who were at the forefront of the anti-government protest actually formed groups to ensure protection to temples and businesses and properties owned by Hindus.
The fact that students and some local organisations stood on guard to protect temples was also acknowledged by Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar in Parliament.
In a reassuring move, Nobel Laureate Muhammed Yunus, who is leading the interim government in Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, himself visited Dhakeshri Temple to express solidarity with the Hindus.
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