Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Muslim men thrash an American tourist on board a Turkish Airlines flight for not wearing a hijab.
Fact
Viral video dates back to April 2021 when a brawl broke out over overhead lockers on a Tunisair flight at Istanbul airport.
Several social media users are circulating a video, claiming to show a group of Muslim men brutally assaulting an American tourist on board a Turkish Airlines flight for not wearing a hijab.
The archived version of the tweet can be seen here and here.
Fact Check
Newschecker first ran a keyword search for “Turkish airlines attack American tourist hijab”, which did not throw up any news reports of such an incident, raising our doubts.
Newschecker then ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the video, which led us to this Daily Mail report, dated April 14, 2021, featuring a clearer version of the viral clip, stating that a plane passenger dragged a woman by the hair and punched her in a mass brawl about overhead lockers on a Tunisair flight. “The shocking incident was filmed on Tunisair flight TU216 at Istanbul Airport in Turkey before the plane was meant to head to Tunis-Carthage International Airport in Tunisia on April 10. Airline officials said the brawl led to five-hour delays because take-off had to be pushed back,” read the report. Similar reports can be seen here, here, here and here, disproving the communal narrative over the viral video.
Also Read: 5-Year-Old Video Goes Viral Ahead Of 2023 Telangana Assembly Elections
Conclusion
A video of a brawl between passengers about the overhead bins on a Tunisair flight at Istanbul airport in April 2021 has been shared with a false communal claim.
Result: False
Source
Daily Mail report, April 14, 2021
The Independent report, April 13, 2021
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
