On March 21, 2025, a video began circulating on various social media platforms, claiming to show large-scale protests against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan occurring in East Timor. As the video gained traction, it sparked widespread interest and concern among viewers who believed it reflected international discontent towards Erdoğan’s administration.

This was particularly significant given the political climate in Turkey at the time, where Erdoğan faced increasing criticism and unrest due to various socio-economic issues and political decisions. The claim raised questions about the extent of dissent against his government beyond Turkey’s borders and prompted a fact-check to verify its authenticity.

Claim

The central claim under investigation is that the video accurately depicts protests against Erdoğan in East Timor. This assertion implies that there is notable international opposition to Erdoğan’s rule, with demonstrations occurring far from Turkey. However, this claim has been identified as false.

Fact

Upon thorough investigation, it was revealed that the video does not show protests in East Timor. Instead, the footage originates from actual protests that took place in Turkey. These protests were sparked by the imprisonment of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul, who had previously been a vocal critic of Erdoğan’s government. The events depicted in the video occurred earlier in March 2025 but were misrepresented as happening in East Timor.

Several reputable news sources corroborated this finding:

1. Reuters: The fact-checking organization provided clarity on the video’s true origins and highlighted its misleading portrayal.
2. Anadolu Agency: This Turkish news agency reported on the actual protests within Turkey, confirming that they were unrelated to any events in East Timor.
3. BBC News: A report from BBC confirmed that the claims surrounding the video were misleading and provided context about the protests in Turkey.

These sources collectively establish that the claims made regarding protests in East Timor are unfounded and misleading.

Conclusion

Based on the evidence presented, this fact check is classified as False Content. The narrative surrounding the video is entirely false; it misrepresents genuine events occurring within Turkey while falsely attributing them to a location outside of Turkey.

This highlights the critical importance of verifying information before sharing it on social media, especially during times of political tension when misinformation can spread rapidly and lead to misunderstandings about global events. The incident serves as a reminder of how easily context can be manipulated, leading to significant misconceptions about political situations worldwide.