Supporters of ex-Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte have protested his stunning arrest in March for a crimes against humanity charge. But social media footage purportedly showing a giant rally for the former leader is in fact from a religious event in Iraq.
“Filipinos are showing their support for Duterte and staging nationwide protests,” reads part of the Burmese-language caption to the video shared March 17, 2025 on Facebook.
It has more than 23,000 views and depicts an aerial view of a massive crowd gathered at a public square with bright green lights on either side. Burmese text superimposed on the clip says, “Next time the ICC will be scared of Duterte.”
The 79-year-old former president was arrested on March 11 on a warrant stemming from his deadly crackdown on drugs — and was swiftly transferred to the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands (archived link).
Rights activists say Duterte’s centrepiece policy has killed tens of thousands of mostly poor men, often without proof they were linked to illegal narcotics.
Similar Facebook and TikTok posts have also misused the video following reports of pro-Duterte protests across the Philippines and before the ICC building in The Hague (archived here and here).
Muslim event
A combination of reverse image and keyword searches on Google found the video posted on Instagram on July 8, 2024 several months before Duterte’s arrest (archived link).
The post’s caption indicates it shows the flag changing ceremony in Iraq’s central Karbala city to mark the beginning of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar.
Read the full story on AFP Fact Check.