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
Pro-Khalistan demonstrators insult the Indian flag during a protest in Canada amid the India-Canada diplomatic standoff.
Fact
Viral video is of a protest in July 2023 over the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, before the tensions between India and Canada escalated following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September 2023.
Several social media users are sharing a video, purportedly showing Khalistan supporters disrespecting the Indian tricolour during a protest in Canada, amid the current diplomatic row between the two countries following allegations by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of potential Indian involvement in the assassination of Khalistan sympathiser Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India-Canada tensions escalate
Tensions between India and Canada reached a boiling point after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s explosive allegations of “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, on June 18 in British Columbia. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020. India angrily rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official over the case. The diplomatic standoff threatens to spill over into their economies.
Fact Check
Newschecker ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the video, which led us to this tweet, sharing the viral video, dated July 31, 2023.
A further search led us to this tweet, dated July 25, 2023, confirming that the viral video was taken well before the current spat. A Youtube video of the incident can be seen here.
A relevant keyword search led us to multiple news reports from July 2023 about pro-Khalistan supporters desecrating the Indian national flag during demonstrations outside the Indian consulates in Canada, UK and US. The protests were in response to the alleged killing of Khalistan Tiger Force chief, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was reportedly shot dead in Surrey, Canada, on June 18. Several other tweets, sharing what appears to be a video of the same protest, seen here, here and here, state that the incident happened outside the Indian consulate in Toronto.
The tweets also state that one Devanshu Narang, who is based out of Toronto, intervened to pull away the national flag from the protesters. A further search led to this Facebook post by Narang about the incident, dated July 9, 2023. “…While we were on either sides of the road with the Police standing in between, a group of Khalistani came on the road and made a round football out of Indian flag and started kicking it around…I crossed over, went on the road and then approached the Khalistanis while informing the Police that I am stepping in and would not allow this disrespect of Indian flag to continue…,” read the post.
We have reached out to Narang and will update this article once we receive a response.
Also Read: Old Photo Of Times Square Billboard Featuring Singer Shubh Goes Viral
Conclusion
An old video of Khalistan supporters disrespecting the national flag during a protest, most likely in Toronto, Canada, being shared as a recent incident amid the India-Canada row.
Result: Missing Context
Sources
Twitter post, July 25, 2023
Times of India report, July 9, 2023
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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.
