Old visuals from 2022 Sri Lanka protests shared as those from Bangladesh protests
Bangladesh is currently witnessing large-scale protests driven by quota issues. Demonstrators have even stormed the Prime Minister’s official residence and looted the house. Amidst this unrest, an image is circulating that shows protesters sleeping on a bed, with claims that they are sleeping on former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s bed in her residence (here & here). This article aims to fact-check the validity of that claim.
Claim: An image showing demonstrators sleeping on the bed of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after taking over her residence.
Fact: This image is from the 2022 Sri Lanka protests, where demonstrators entered President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s residence. There are reports indicating that protesters in Bangladesh have stormed former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s residence with reports of looting and vandalizing. Some reports even suggest that demonstrators posed on her bed. However, the photo in the claim is not from these incidents. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Bangladesh has been dealing with deadly protests that began in July 2024 as an anti-quota movement. Recently, these mass protests have evolved into a major anti-government uprising. The situation escalated after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country. Protesters forcefully entered her official residence in Dhaka, looting and vandalizing the premises.
There are reports that protesters have even stolen former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s clothes. This report includes visuals of demonstrators posing on Sheikh Hasina’s bed. It is in this context the viral image is circulated, linking it to the protests.
However, the image currently going viral has no connection to the ongoing protests in Bangladesh. This image is from the 2022 Sri Lanka protests. In 2022, Sri Lanka witnessed similar anti-government demonstrations, driven by criticism of the government’s poor economic management resulting in high inflation. Just as in Bangladesh, Sri Lankan protesters stormed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s residence after he fled the country, looting and vandalizing the house.
A reverse image search of the viral photo led to multiple news reports linking the image to the Sri Lanka protests. These reports featured the image with captions suggesting that demonstrators were sleeping on the President’s bed.
Additional reports sharing the same image can be viewed here and here. However, some news agencies have used the same image in connection with the Bangladesh protests, which may have caused confusion and contributed to its spread on social media.
To sum up, old visuals from the 2022 Sri Lanka protests are being shared linking them to the Bangladesh protests.