WebQoof Recap: Of COVID-19 Misinformation & Palestinian Crisis

Here’s a round up of all that misled the public this week.

From misinformation around the Reliance Group, which was accused for taking credit for the liquid medical oxygen supplied to India by Saudi Arabia, to edited Sky News footage being used to claim that international media criticised Foreign Minister S Jaishankar for flouting COVID isolation norms, here’s a quick recap of all that misled the public this week.

1. Old, Unrelated Clips Viral as ‘Hindus Retaliating in West Bengal’

Five old clips showing incidents of clashes between several groups, stitched into one video were being shared on social media as ‘Hindus Retaliating in West Bengal’.

The videos were used in the backdrop of the widespread post-poll violence in West Bengal with the claim that ‘Hindus in West Bengal have started retaliating’ and the ‘democracy will be in danger’.

We found out that three of the five videos were old and unrelated. One video was from Phagwara in Punjab and has been around since 2017, the other was found to be from 2018, where a mob was pelting stones at a mosque. The third one could be traced back to Gurugram in 2019.

You can read the story here.

2. No, Sky News Didn’t Criticise EAM for ‘Flouting Norms’ at G7

An edited video of a Sky News bulletin with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has been doing the rounds on social media. A section of the clip criticises the minister for flouting self-isolation and masking norms, even after two members of the delegation tested COVID-positive.

We found the original video on Sky News' YouTube channel, titled ‘Foreign Secretary defends G7 meeting after two test positive for COVID-19’. The video was edited around the 01:03 mark to add criticisms of the Indian delegation, as the original video discusses the highlights of the meet and does not talk about Jaishankar.

You can read the story here.

3. 2020 Clip From Jordan Passed Off as Palestinians Faking Casualties

A video of people carrying a corpse at a funeral and dispersing as soon as sirens are heard is being shared as Palestinians pretending to be at a funeral “today” in Gaza and filming it for sympathy.

This comes during the ongoing Palestinian crisis, where at least 69 Palestinian, including 17 children, have lost their lives as of 14 May.

We found that the video was first uploaded to YouTube in March 2020 with the caption ‘fake funeral in Jordan to break the coronavirus curfew.[sic.]’

As per an Egypt-based newspaper’s report, it was a video of young Jordanians who staged a funeral to get out of the house during the country's strict coronavirus curfew last year.

You can read the story here.

4. Reliance Rebranded Saudi Oxygen Containers? Claim is Misleading.

A set of images and a video are being circulated on social media to falsely claim that the Reliance group has been taking credit for medical oxygen supplied by Saudi Arabia by re-labelling tankers sent by the nation.

It shows a tanker bearing the Reliance Foundation logo and a partial Saudi Arabian flag.

We accessed a press release dated 1 May 2021 mentioning ramped-up production of medical-grade liquid oxygen. The release also stated that the company would airlift containers for transporting the same from five countries, including Saudi Arabia.

A source close to the development told The Quint:

“The tankers supplied from Saudi Arabia and other countries are empty containers and the liquid medical oxygen produced by Reliance was filled into it. We bought these empty tankers so that we can use it to ferry oxygen.”

You can read the full story here.

5. Old Photos of Dead Bodies Floating in Ganga Passed Off as Recent

Images from 2015, showing corpses floating in the river Ganga, have been shared with a false claim that they are recent images from Bihar's Buxar area.

This came shortly after the Bihar government said that they had fished out 71 bodies out of the river in Buxar, which were found floating in a bloated and decomposed state. Several corpses were found in the river Ganga in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur as well

(Note: The images and links in the report may be distressing to some. Viewer's discretion is advised.)

Both images could be traced back to 14 January 2015, when over 100 bodies were found floating in the Ganga near Pariyar Ghat in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. However, it is true that several dead bodies have been recovered from Ganga in the past week, but these images are old.

You can read the full story here.

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