Social media users discussing August fuel hike protests in Bangladesh have mistakenly shared unrelated footage from 2013, suggesting it is from 2022.
The video shows people looking at objects on fire in the street and launching projectiles, as well as police officers deploying tear gas.
“Bangladesh protests and hard clashes have erupted in several cities after the government has decided to increase petrol prices by 51% and diesel by 42% effective midnight. Huge lines are reported at petrol stations all over Bangladesh,” wrote one Twitter user who shared the video on August 7. The tweet has been liked thousands of times.
Another iteration on Facebook includes the caption: “Bangladesh protests and hard clashes have erupted in several cities after the government has decided to increase petrol and Diesel prices.”
Bangladesh raised fuel prices by around 50% on August 6, a move that will trim the country's subsidy burden but put more pressure on inflation which is already running above 7%.
The South Asian country's $416 billion economy has been one of the fastest growing in the world for years. However, soaring energy and food prices due to the Russia-Ukraine war have inflated its import bill, forcing the government to seek loans from global agencies, including the International Monetary Fund.
The price for petrol was increased by 51.2% to Tk130 a litre, 95-octane gasoline by 51.7% to Tk135 and diesel and kerosene by 42.5%, the power, energy and mineral resources ministry said in a statement.
According to local media, people have indeed been protesting against the hike.
However, a reverse image search shows that the video is not related to the 2022 demonstrations.
The video can be traced back to May 2013 and a violent protest against an anti-blasphemy law in Bangladesh.
