In light of the continuation of the demonstrations called by the Sadrist movement in Iraq to reject the candidate of the coordination framework for prime minister, Iraqi pages and accounts on the communication sites circulated a video that was said to show a crowd of supporters of the Sadrist movement joining the protests. But this video was actually published in 2019 during the widespread protests that took place in the country at that time.
In the video, a crowd of demonstrators carrying Iraqi flags and red banners appears, and chants are heard announcing the arrival of “Al-Ka`biyya”, or members of the Bani Ka’ab clan, one of the largest clans in southern Iraq, to a place of demonstration or a sit-in. .
The accompanying comments read, “The tribe of Bani Ka’ab accepts the invitation of Al-Sadr.”
The circulation of the video comes in this context in light of the continuation of the demonstrations and protests called by the leader of the Sadrist movement in objection to the naming of the coordination framework, which includes pro-Iranian factions, for a figure he considers close to Nuri al-Maliki, his political opponent, for the premiership, Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudani.
As protests continued, and Sadr’s supporters sat in Parliament, which they stormed a few days ago, this video appeared on the communication sites, suggesting – or explicitly claiming – that it depicts one of the recent demonstrations in Iraq.
Reality of the video
But the circulating video is old and has nothing to do with recent events, and the search for scenes of it on search engines showed that it was published in 2019, which denies that it is recent, as the misleading publications claimed.
The same video can be found on a page called “The Emirate of Bani Kaab – the official website”, followed by more than twenty thousand people.
This particular video was published on November 4, 2019 under the title “Bani Ka’ab Demonstrations in Baghdad, Tahrir Square.”
At that time, Iraq was living on the impact of a popular uprising, the largest in its modern history, against the political system that the protesters accused of corruption, and later developed to witness confrontations with security forces and armed men, killing more than 600 people and wounding tens of thousands.
The “Technology for Peace” platform, which is concerned with responding to misinformation, had previously issued a report in which it refuted this claim and indicated the origin of the video from 2019.
Video recent confrontations in the vicinity of the Green Zone?
In a related context, users of social networking sites, especially in Iraq, circulated a video that their publishers claimed was of confrontations between the security forces and supporters of the rival “coordinating framework” of the Sadrist movement, during the demonstration that was organized, on Monday, near the Green Zone in Baghdad. However, the video is in fact related to confrontations during a demonstration that followed the parliamentary elections in 2021.
The video shows a number of protesters throwing stones at security forces who are sheltering in shields. The accompanying text stated, “Urgent clashes between the security forces and the demonstrators of the coordination framework in the Green Zone.”
This video received hundreds of thousands of views from several Iraqi pages, in conjunction with the demonstration of thousands of supporters of the coordination framework, which rivals the Sadrist movement, on Monday, near the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, while supporters of al-Sadr continue their sit-in in Parliament.
Tensions escalated after Muqtada al-Sadr’s refusal to nominate Muhammad Shia al-Sudani, 52, by the coordination framework, which includes Shiite factions loyal to Iran, for prime minister. Supporters of the Sadrist movement stormed Parliament twice in less than a week, and began a sit-in on Saturday.
On the other hand, thousands of supporters of the coordination framework demonstrated on Monday afternoon, at the suspension bridge leading to the Green Zone, which includes government institutions, Western diplomatic headquarters and Parliament.
Security forces sprayed water on protesters to prevent them from crossing the bridge, according to AFP journalists.
Reality of the video
However, the circulating video does not document new confrontations during these demonstrations, and after cutting it into fixed scenes, the search for it led to the fact that it was published on social media and within the broadcast of several news channels talking about protests against the results of the parliamentary elections, on November 5, 2021.
On that day, one person was killed and more than a hundred others were injured, as a result of clashes between security forces and pro-Iranian demonstrators who were objecting to the results of the parliamentary elections, when protesters tried to storm the fortified Green Zone in the center of the capital, after parliamentary elections in which the pro-Iranian forces retreated.