Fact-Check: Old, Unrelated Photo Shared As Protest Against Israel in Kerala

This image is from 2017 and shows the crowd greeting actor Sunny Leone in Kochi, Kerala.

Fact-Check: The image is from 2017 and shows a huge crowd waiting to greet actor Sunny Leone. 

(Source: The Quint) 

An image showing a huge crowd is being shared with the claim that it depicts a protest against Israel in Kerala.

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: X/Screenshot) 

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is this true?: No, the claim is false. This image is old and dates back to 2017. It shows people gathered to greet actor Sunny Leone in Kochi, Kerala.

What we found: We ran a Google reverse image search on the image and came across a post on Leone's official X (formerly Twitter) handle featuring the same image as the viral claim. The actor uploaded it on 17 August 2017.

• Leone captioned the image, "My car in literally a sea of love in Kochi Kerala!! Thanks #fone4"

• According to reports, the crowd gathered to catch a glimpse of the actor who was in Kochi for the launch of the 'FONE4 store. '

• Several news reports by the News Minute, India Today and the Times of India from 2017 also featured the image in their reports.

• Leone also uploaded a video of the crowd in Kochi on her Facebook page and used the same caption as her post on X in 2017.

Pro-Palestine protests in Kerala: In 2023, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) organised a pro-Palestine rally at Kozhikode beach, drawing in thousands of people. Activists showed support for Palestine by chanting slogans and displaying banners.

• Congress leader Shashi Tharoor had also joined the rally in Kerala, reported TOI in October 2023.

Conclusion: An old and unrelated image from 2017 is being falsely shared as protest against Israel in Kerala.

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