False claims that The Economist had doctored the photo circulated on X, Facebook and Instagram and around the world, including in Australia and South Korea.

One post said the photo showed “fake hands and legs” and that the Palestinian flag had been “deleted using AI.”

However, the Palestinian flag is not visible in the original photo published by AFP.

Not photoshopped

AFP published the photo on August 5, after Sheikh Hasina was deposed and fled the country.

According to the caption, the photo was taken that same day.

“Anti-government protesters display the Bangladesh national flag as they storm Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s palace in Dhaka on August 5, 2024,” it said.

Photographer KM Asad, who sold the photo to AFP, confirmed that no Palestinian flag was visible on it.

“I can assure you that when I was there, there was no one there with those two flags hanging, and The Economist did not photoshop the image,” he posted on Instagram (archived link).

A spokesperson for the Economist also told AFP that it was “not a doctored photo.”

Although the Palestinian flag is not visible in this photo, it was actually raised during the raid on Hasina’s house, as can be seen in another photo by KM Asad (archived link).

Videos published on the Internet also showed the Palestinian flag at the crime scene (archived here and here).

AFP has verified further misinformation about the protests in Bangladesh here.

August 28, 2024 The story has been updated with commentary from The Economist