FACT CHECK: Video Shows East Timor, Not Turkish Protests

A post shared on X claims to show Turkish protests against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

🚨🇹🇷 BREAKING:

🔴 Erdogan flees to an unknown location as mass protests erupt across Turkey!

🔴 Millions take to the streets, withdrawing legitimacy from his government.

Developing… pic.twitter.com/zYo1zZB6FN

— SilencedSirs◼️ (@SilentlySirs) March 19, 2025

Verdict: False

The video shows a crowd in East Timor during Pope Francis’s visit to the largely Catholic country.

Fact Check:

Social media users are claiming to show Turkish protests against Erdogan. One user wrote, “BREAKING: 🔴 Erdogan flees to an unknown location as mass protests erupt across Turkey! 🔴 Millions take to the streets, withdrawing legitimacy from his government.Developing…”

This claim is false. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found that the video is from Pope Francis’s September 2024 visit to East Timor. It was shared on TikTok in September 2024.

@kopacol84 momen Pope Francis memberi berkat pada umatnya #pausfransiskus #blessed #catholic ♬ suara asli – Inspirasikatholik_ – Inspirasicatholic_

Tal Hagin, a research fellow at Fake Reporter, debunked the claim. (RELATED: Claim That Pam Bondi Has Petitioned The Courts To Vacate Anthony Fauci’s Pardon Is Satire)

This video doesn’t depict protesters in Turkey, nor is it recent.

The video is from Timor-Leste, filmed on September 10, 2024. It doesn’t show a protest but rather people returning home after a Mass attended by reportedly 60,000 people during Pope Francis’ visit. https://t.co/w6AHPPhBGV pic.twitter.com/xqnxt2v27G

— Tal Hagin (@talhagin) March 19, 2025

“This video doesn’t depict protesters in Turkey, nor is it recent. The video is from Timor-Leste, filmed on September 10, 2024. It doesn’t show a protest but rather people returning home after a Mass attended by reportedly 60,000 people during Pope Francis’ visit,” reads Hagin’s tweet.