Zimbabwe Police Use force to Dispel Recalcitrant Churches – Viral Whatsapp messages
False; the video is neither related to the coronavirus nor church activities. It is a November 2019 video of Zimbabwean police dispersing supporters of the main opposition political party.
Full Text
A video circulating on social media shows Police officers chasing and beating up men and women with batons.
“Zimbabwe Police dealing with the church that refused to take instructions of closing for Corona virus (Koro),” the caption of the video on Whatsapp reads.
For a section of Ghanaians, churches who flout President Akufo-Addo’s directives on mass gatherings should suffer the same punishment.
The President last week banned public gatherings and suspended schools in a bid to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, Covid-19.
The video has been shared on several WhatsApp pages, on Instagram and on Twitter. Whatsapp users who shared it with Dubawa say it was also part of a news item by a popular television station.
Verification
Yes, the video was taken in Zimbabwe. And yes, it shows Police using force and brutality against members of the public.
However, it is neither related to the coronavirus nor to any religious activity or group.
A 2019 news report by Reuters explains that the incident occurred on November 20, 2019, and shows brutality meted on supporters of Zimbabwe’s main opposition political party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The supporters had gathered at their party headquarters to listen to a speech by their leader Nelson Chamisa on November 20, 2019.
Additionally, news organisations including the Guardian news and Aljazeera also carried the story last year.
To further verify, DUBAWA contacted Zimfact, a fact-checking platform in Zimbabwe.
“This was police breaking up opposition supporters, Nov 20, 2019,” Zimfact said.
