Old video doesn’t show UK protests following Indian strikes on Pakistan

A video of a busy street filled with people waving Pakistan flags is being shared on social media with captions implying it shows UK protests about the recent missile attack launched by India on Pakistan.

One Facebook post is captioned: “Pakistani protests have started - IN ENGLAND”.

Although there have been reports of protests outside the Indian embassy in London, the video being shared on social media is much older and unrelated to the recent conflict.

The video, which was filmed on Manchester’s Curry Mile, has been circulating online since at least August 2024. By analysing Google Street View images, we found that the video was filmed prior to September 2023. The black shop front saying “Habibi” seen in the video can also be seen on Street View in September 2023, but not in the latest capture in July 2024, where it is now an orange shop front with a “Crispy Burger” sign. A brown sign that says “Arabesque” in the video can be seen on Street View in November 2020, but not in September 2023.

Early on Wednesday 7 May India launched a series of strikes on sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir which Pakistan’s military said killed at least 31. The Indian defence ministry said the strikes were part of a “commitment” to hold those responsible “accountable” for an attack which took place at a popular beauty spot in Indian-administered Kashmir on 22 April and left 25 Indians and one Nepali national dead. Pakistan has denied any involvement in last month’s attack.

After days of clashes and claims from both sides of strikes on airbases, a ceasefire was announced on 10 May.

Misleading information can spread quickly during breaking news events, especially during periods of crisis and conflict. We have written a round-up of the misinformation we have seen spreading about India-Pakistan here.

Before sharing content that you see online, it’s important to consider whether it comes from a trustworthy and verifiable source. We’ve written guides explaining key tools to help you spot misleading images and videos.