Video from Timor-Leste falsely shared as 'Muslim rally in Mumbai'

What is the claim?

A post circulating on social media claims to show a large crowd comprising members of the Muslim community, marching through the streets of Mumbai. The viral clip depicts a convoy of cars passing down a road, flanked by a significant number of people standing on both sides. Several users have shared this short clip on X (formerly Twitter), alleging it depicts a 'Muslim rally.'

One user wrote, “This is not Pakistan or Bangladesh. This isn't Iraq, Iran, or even Afghanistan. This is our Mumbai, where Muslims want to show their strength out on the streets. Keep sleeping, Hindus (translated from Hindi)." Archived versions of such posts can be accessed here, here, here, here, here and here

Screenshots of the viral social media posts. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

Reports indicate that over 12,000 Muslim protesters marched in Mumbai on September 23, demanding the arrest of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Nitesh Rane and preacher Ramgiri Maharaj for hate speech.

However, the viral video being circulated as a Muslim rally in Mumbai is actually from Timor-Leste, captured during Pope Francis’ visit to the capital of the Southeast Asian nation from September 9 to September 11, 2024.

How did we find the truth?

We conducted reverse image searches on keyframes from the viral video and found it had been shared on TikTok and Facebook on September 12. One user claimed that the video (archived here) was recorded during Pope Francis’ visit to Timor-Leste.

A user named Rey Marques also posted the video on TikTok (archived here), using hashtags including #timor. One comment on the video stated, “Wow! 600k catholic in timor leste attending and welcoming POPE,timor leste population 2024 is 1 million more,That’s mean half of population of timor leste dedicated to the POPE! Wow! (sic)" Marques replied to that comment, saying, “Actually, 750,000.” This suggests that the video is indeed from Pope Francis’ visit to Timor-Leste.

We found a clearer version of the video (archived here) on TikTok, posted by a user named NyongTimor92. The caption, written in Indonesian, confirmed it shows Pope Francis' visit to Tasitolu in Dili, Timor-Leste, on September 10.

Approximately 600,000 people in East Timor—just under half of its population—attended a Mass with Pope Francis on September 10 at the Esplanade of Tasitolu in Dili. A report by Reuters from that day noted that crowds gathered for kilometers around Dili throughout Tuesday to follow the pope's events. The pope toured the large crowd in an open-top popemobile, waving and offering his blessing. An image in the report was captioned, "Pope Francis gestures to the Catholic faithful after leading holy mass at the Esplanade of Tasitolu in Dili, East Timor, on September 10, 2024."

The TikTok video and Reuters confirmed that the pope visited Tasitolu in Dili. 

A careful review of the video revealed a building and a tree that matched the visuals in Google Street View. By geolocating the site around the Esplanade of Tasitolu, we compared the video to images found on Google Maps, concluding that it was filmed on a street near the coastal area of Dili.

Comparison between the viral video and the location found on Google street view. (Source: X/Google Maps/Modified by Logically Facts)

We also identified a petrol station visible in both the viral video and on Google Street View. The fueling station is located just past the aforementioned building. A building with a sloped roof appeared in both sets of visuals, further confirming that the video shows Dili, not Mumbai.

Comparison between the viral video and the location found on Google street view. (Source: X/Google Maps/Modified by Logically Facts)

Additionally, we noticed several red flags on the street lamps in the viral video. Reviewing Reuters' live stream of the pope’s departure on YouTube (archived here), we confirmed that these flags are the national flags of Timor-Leste. Similar flags are visible on street lamps and stands along the convoy’s route.

Comparison between the viral video and the video live-streamed by Reuters. (Source: X/YouTube/Modified 

The evidence we gathered confirms that the video is from Timor-Leste and was filmed during Pope Francis’ visit to the eastern part of the country. The clip has been falsely circulated as footage of a rally in Mumbai held on September 23.

The verdict

A video from Timor-Leste has been falsely shared as footage of Muslims holding a rally in Mumbai. The video was captured during Pope Francis’ visit to Timor-Leste and is unrelated to a recent rally by Muslim protesters in the city.