Video from Indonesian Protest Falsely Linked to September 2025 Nepal Unrest
On 04 September 2025, the Nepal government banned 26 major social media platforms, sparking nationwide youth-led protests that turned violent from 08 September 2025 onwards, leaving at least 19 people dead and hundreds injured as demonstrators clashed with security forces and targeted government properties, including the residence of the President. Despite lifting the ban on 09 September 2025, anger persisted, with protesters demanding Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli’s resignation over corruption and inequality. Oli stepped down the same day along with several ministers. At the same time, the army was deployed to restore order as Nepal grappled with its biggest political and social crisis in recent years, fuelled by high youth unemployment, corruption, and resentment against entrenched elites.
Amid this turmoil, a video (here and here) circulated online claiming to show protesters in Nepal attacking security forces, who were seen defending themselves with riot shields. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of protesters in Nepal attacking security forces, who were seen defending themselves with riot shields in September 2025.
Fact: Although protesters in Nepal did clash with security forces, the viral video is unrelated to those events. The video actually shows individuals throwing rocks at police during a protest in Medan, Indonesia, on 29 August 2025. Hence, the claim in the post is MISLEADING.
We first noted the word ‘POLISI’ written on the riot shields in the viral video and identified it as the Indonesian translation of the word ‘Police’. We then conducted a reverse image search of the video and found the same visuals had been uploaded by several media outlets (here, here & here) in August 2025.
According to the media reports, the viral video (archived) shows people throwing rocks and sticks at police during a protest in Medan, Indonesia, on 29 August 2025. The demonstration took place after the death of a delivery rider in clashes between riot police and students who were protesting against lawmakers’ allowances.
A comparison of the surroundings in the video with Google Streetview imagery of the parliament building’s surroundings confirms that the location is in Indonesia, not Nepal.
To sum it up, a video from Indonesia has been falsely shared as showing protesters attacking security forces in Nepal.