Technology
21 Jul, 2025
Nimesh Rathod
This 2022 video is from Jakarta, Indonesia. It has nothing to do with the recent anti-migrant violence in Spain.
Anti-immigrant violence broke out in Spain’s Torre Pacheco after three youths, allegedly from North Africa,attackeda 68-year-old man on July 9. Amid the unrest, a newly constructed mosque in Piera, Barcelona, caught fire and is suspected to be an act of arson. Despite rescue efforts, the building wasdestroyedbefore it was scheduled to open.
Now, a video allegedly showing the mosque on fire is making the rounds online. A Threads user wrote alongside thevideo, “Scenes of the Piera Mosque in Barcelona being burnt down. It appears the Spanish are fighting back.”
Many alsosharedthis video online, claiming this was retaliation against Islamic terrorism.
India Today Fact Check found that the viral video is from Indonesia, not Spain, and it has been online since 2022.Our Probe
A reverse search of keyframes from the viral clip led us to the same video, shared onTikTokon October 20, 2022, with the Indonesian caption: “Fire Erupts in the Dome of the Jakarta Islamic Centre Mosque.” This means the viral video predates the recent clashes in Spain.
Severalnews reportspublished in October 2022 confirmed that the incident occurred on October 19 in North Jakarta, Indonesia. According toCNBC-TV18, the dome of the Jami Mosque caught fire and collapsed while it was undergoing renovation. The mosque is located within the building complex of the Jakarta Islamic Centre, a think tank focused on Islamic studies and development.
Two photos can also be seen inside the viral video. While the video is indeed from Indonesia, a reverse search of both these photos shows that they have been featured in several Spanishnews reportsthat described them as before and after visuals of thePiera Mosque firein Barcelona. Additionally, we found videos onYouTubewith similar visuals, which are reportedly from the Piera Mosque in Spain.
Thus, it is clear that the viral video has nothing to do with the recent anti-migrant clashes in Spain.- EndsPublished By:Pathikrit SanyalPublished On:Jul 16, 2025