Fact Check: An old video of Arbaeen walk in Iraq falsely linked with Palestine. Here’s the truth
Kamran Khan 
On social media,a video of a group of women walking with Indian flag has gone viral. While sharing the video users claim that “Power of our national flag Now the people and women in Palestine are leaving Palestine with the tricolor in their hands because Israel does not fire on the tricolor Not just Israel, at this moment no country on this planet has the courage to fire on the Indian flag This is the power of the tricolor and Modi”. (English Translation)
Moreover, several users shared this video and made similar claims. The link can be seen here, here and here.
Fact Check
During the investigation, DFRAC found that this video was from Iran. We found a similar video on Instagram handle of ‘falak haq’ uploaded on 31 August 2023 with the caption “Arbaeen walk 2023”
Basically, Arbaeen walk means “The Arbaeen Walk stands as the largest global pilgrimage, an annual tradition observed by Shia Muslims in Iraq following a 40-day mourning period for Hussain, the third Imam of Shia Muslims and the grandson of Prophet Muhammad”. Furthermore, we also found a video on Instagram handle of ‘Jawwad Hussain’ uploaded on 4 sept 2023 with the same caption.
Moreover, a YouTube report by NDTV dated Sep 2023 also depicted the instance of Arbaeen walk in Iraq. The video’s description cited that every Indian was hoisting the Indian flag in Iraq as well. Thousands of Indian citizens who arrived from India on the occasion of Arbaeen hoisted their flag.
Conclusion
It is evident from the DFRAC’s fact check that the viral video shows Arbaeen walk in Iraq and dates back to 2023. Therefore, the claim of social media users is misleading.
Aayushi Rana 
Nisar Ahmed Siddiqui 