This Video Does Not Show Khamenei’s Statue Burning
The Claim
In a video, Iranian protesters are seen burning Khamenei's statue while chanting "death to Khamenei".
News posted on
Emerging story
Social media users circulated a video purporting to show Iranian protesters burning Khamenei's statue in his hometown of Mashhad while chanting "death to Khamenei."
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the viral video and found the claim to be misleading.
After conducting a thorough reverse image search, Misbar discovered that the video clip making the rounds is unrelated to the burning of Khamenei’s statue.
Protesters Burn the Statue of Morteza Motahari
The video does not show Iranian protesters burning the supreme leader, Khamenei, as claimed. It shows protesters burning Morteza Motahari’s statue.
The Voice of America Farsi website published the video on September 24, 2022.
The video’s caption reads, “Continued protests and burning of the statue of Morteza Motahari, the founder of hijab philosophy in Mashhad.”
The same video was also uploaded on YouTube on September 24, 2022, by a channel called Iran Now News.
The video’s caption reads: “Young people burned the statue of Morteza Motahari, one of the symbols and theorists of the corrupt mullahs' regime, during their night protests.”
Misbar searched for the Morteza Motahari statue in Iran and found it similar to the statue that is seen burned in the viral video.
Our team also found the photos of the Morteza Motahari statue published on Persian websites.
Who Is Morteza Motahari?
Morteza Motahhari is an Iranian Twelver Shia scholar, philosopher, and lecturer. Motahhari is thought to have had a significant impact on the beliefs of the Islamic Republic. He was a founding member of both the Combatant Clergy Association and Hosseiniye Ershad. During the time of the Shah, he was a student of Ruhollah Khomeini, who asked him to help establish the Council of the Islamic Revolution. At the time of his assassination, he was the council's chairman.
On May 1, 1979, Morteza Motahhari was shot in Tehran. The Furqan Group claimed responsibility for the assassination.
Protests in Iran
Many Iranians have been attending daily protests ever since the morality police killed 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
In more than 150 cities worldwide, human rights activists and Iranian diaspora organizations have staged massive anti-Islamic Republic demonstrations.
Read More
Old Photo Shared as India’s Protests Against the Hijab Ban in Schools
