A video of aerobatic demonstrations at the Italian Parliament last year is being falsely claimed as part of celebrations at Trafalgar Square in London.
New Delhi: Three fighter jets supposedly leaving a trail of saffron, white and green hues across the blue sky can mean only one thing for Indian viewers — the tricolour. Or so suggests a viral fake post on social media.
The post carries a 57-second video that is being widely shared on Facebook with the caption, “Request everyone to watch this 1 minute video without miss. This is an amazing forward from Trafalgar square, London during the celebration of India’s Independence Day. Jai Hind.”
The video was originally shared by a page called Global Hindus Saturday and has received over 4,500 views.
Request everyone to watch this 1 minute video without miss.This is an amazing forward from Trafalgar square, London during the celebration of 72nd India’s Independence Day.Jai Hind ?
Global Hindus यांनी वर पोस्ट केले शनिवार, २ फेब्रुवारी, २०१९
However, the flag is actually Italian and the location is the Italian Parliament. While the colours green and white do make an appearance in the video, the third colour is red — the three colours of the Italian national flag.
The video is from a demonstration by the Italian Air Force on its Republic Day, 2 June, in 2018.
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The London event
The celebration of Indian Independence Day in Trafalgar Square first made headlines last year. The event was planned to counter a pro-Khalistan rally in London on 12 August 2018.
The Ministry of External Affairs had even issued a statement condemning the pro-Khalistan rally.
As a result, two celebrations were held at Trafalgar Square last year. The first one was by the group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which organised a rally to raise awareness for a non-binding referendum for “Free Punjab”.
The other was held by a group called NRI Forum and Friends of India to celebrate “India’s diversity and its Independence Day.”
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In collaboration with SM Hoaxslayer.