An outdated video of ethnic Turks and Kurds preventing exterior the Turkish embassy in Tokyo has resurfaced with posts falsely claiming it exhibits Kurdish migrants “inflicting mayhem” in Saitama as they demanded Japan loosen its immigration insurance policies . The video has in reality circulated since October 2015 in studies of scuffles exterior the Turkish embassy, the place a whole lot of Turkish residents had gathered for early voting within the nation's elections.
“Kurdish immigrants inflicting chaos in Saitama, Japan,” learn a part of the Thai-language caption of a video shared on social media platform X on February 21, 2024.
“And they’re asking the federal government to vary migration insurance policies in order that extra of them can enter the nation.”
Based on a Kyodo Information report, about 2,000 ethnic Kurds — a stateless individuals who have lengthy confronted persecution — reside in Saitama (hyperlink archived).
The video, which has greater than 1,000 shares, exhibits teams of individuals preventing as police attempt to break up the scuffles.
The identical video has been shared with related claims elsewhere on X in Thai right here and in English right here and right here . It was additionally shared in Thai and English on Fb.
Feedback on the posts prompt that some customers believed the struggle proven within the video was associated to Japan's immigration insurance policies.
“Japan ought to strengthen its visa guidelines for individuals from the Center East to guard their nationwide safety and cultural identification,” learn one remark.
One other stated: “Why don't the Japanese grant refugee standing to the Thais? They let within the Muslims, who’re the troublemakers.”
Japan enacted an immigration regulation in June 2023 that allowed the federal government to deport failed asylum seekers, regardless of pushback from opposition events and rights teams (hyperlink archived).
There was additionally concern concerning the standing of a number of hundred Kurds who arrived in Japan after the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria in February 2023 (hyperlink archived).
However the video that appeared on social media shouldn’t be associated to Japanese immigration coverage – it has been circulating since October 2015 in studies about Turks and Kurds preventing exterior the Turkish embassy in Tokyo .
“Electoral Wrestle”
A reverse picture search with key frames from the video led to a report by the Turkish information company Medyascope printed on October 25, 2015 (hyperlink archived).
The title of the report interprets into English as: “That is how the election struggle in entrance of the Tokyo embassy was mirrored on Periscope and the Japanese media.”
An embedded YouTube video consists of the footage proven within the falsely shared video at its 1:19 mark (hyperlink archived).
An AFP correspondent in Tokyo confirmed that the footage was taken from a Japanese media report, indicating that it consists of the brand for Japan Information Community (hyperlink archived).
Under are screenshot comparisons between the video within the faux X put up (left) and the YouTube video uploaded by Medyascope (proper):
On the 1:23 mark of the falsely shared video, an emblem resembling the Turkish flag will be seen close to a black door. These options match the Google Avenue View picture of the Turkish embassy in Tokyo (hyperlink archived).
Under is a screenshot comparability of the faux put up (left) and the Turkish embassy in Tokyo as proven on Google Avenue View (proper), with the corresponding options highlighted by AFP:
AFP stated a minimum of 12 individuals have been injured in preventing exterior the embassy forward of the November 2015 election, which got here at a time of escalating violence in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast.
The report stated the reason for the struggle was not instantly clear, however Jiji Press, citing a Turkish voter, stated the conflict began after Kurds tried to show the flag of a pro-Kurdish celebration.
