Fact Check: Is This How Protesters Targeted Public Transport During Citizenship Stir?

The massive protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act across India have triggered a nexus of fake news, deep fakes and disinformation. From using unrelated video clips to posting tweaked versions of photos and articles, several social media handles are posting unverified content, which in turn has a multiplier effect. However, recently one fake news post stood out as it was shared by none other than Katie Hopkins, a well-known media personality from Britain. The media personality with Conservative ideology shared an old video with a claim that the video showed the vandalisation during the ongoing CAA protests.

The mentality of the Islamists protesting against the Citizenship Bill

Why would India want these types as citizens?

Hindus build. Islamists destroy.

Keep going Modi. Hooray for #CAB2019 https://t.co/z59bByh0Ou

— Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins) December 16, 2019

“The mentality of the Islamists protesting against the Citizenship Bill Why would India want these types as citizens? Hindus build. Islamists destroy. Keep going Modi. Hooray for #CAB2019,” Hopkins said in a tweet along with a clip that showed a man throwing stone at the windshield of a bus. However, now fact-checking website boomlive.in has come up with the real picture that proves Hopkins shared an old video from 2017. The clip is actually from Gujarat’s Surat, where the public was protesting against authorities after a state-run bus injured a pedestrian in an accident. Here's the actual footage of the 2017 protest:

Hopkins shared a shorter version of the video claiming it to be of violence during CAA protests, which turns out to be false.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Wednesday decided to examine the constitutional validity of the amended Citizenship Act, but refused to stay its operation. The Act provides Indian citizenship rights to non-Muslim migrants of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The top court issued notice to the Centre on a batch of pleas challenging the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant fixed 59 petitions, including those filed by the Indian Union Muslim League and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, for hearing on January 22, next year. The bench also agreed to the submission of lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay that common people should be made aware about the aim, objects and the contents of the CAA and asked Attorney General K K Venugopal, representing the Centre, to consider using audio-visual medium to make citizens aware.