Did John Cleese post a video of Muslims chanting in Dublin?
Is a video showing Muslims chanting in Dublin in September 2026, or are they actually FC Schalke 04 football fans?
False
The video misrepresents the identity and date of the event.
The video posted by John Cleese is an authentic clip from October 11, 2025, showing FC Schalke 04 supporters in Dublin, not Muslims chanting. This misattribution is false.
GenuineClaims
✓ 1 true · ✕ 1 falseThe video shows a large group of Muslims chanting in the streets of Dublin in late September 2026.123
Multiple independent news reports and the original posting of the clip indicate that the footage actually dates back to October 11, 2025, capturing FC Schalke 04 supporters in Dublin. This misleading context presents an old event as if it were a recent incident involving Muslims, distorting the footage’s real purpose. Thus, the claim is factually incorrect.
The footage is from October 11, 2025 and shows FC Schalke 04 supporters marching on Abbey Street in Dublin (an incident in which a photographer was assaulted was reported at the time).234
The evidence strongly corroborates that the footage matches the documented event involving Schalke 04 fans on October 11, 2025. Multiple reputable sources confirm this identification, distinguishing it from any recent claims. The historical context of the footage reinforces its credibility.
What was posted
XJohn Cleese tweeted a video captioned 'The Religion of Peace', claiming it showed Muslims chanting in Dublin.
“The Religion of Peace”
Who posted it
XAccount check
Estimates from public signals — account age, posting pattern, audience — not a judgement of the person behind the account, and separate from whether this post is true.
What stood out
- The Twitter handle '@JohnCleese' is widely recognized as belonging to the British actor and comedian John Cleese.
- John Cleese has been active on Twitter, engaging with followers and sharing personal insights, indicating genuine use of the platform.
- In September 2024, Cleese announced his departure from Twitter with the message: 'Goodbye, Twitter. And thanks for dinner, Elon.' (nme.com)
- Despite the announcement, Cleese's account '@JohnCleese' remains active, suggesting continued use or management by him or his team.
Signals (3)+
- Posting cadence
- Regular
- Follower ratio
- High-profile
- Notable news coverage
- Cleese's departure from Twitter in September 2024; His active engagement on Twitter over the years
Account checked October 3, 2026, 14:45 UTC
The media
Video✓ What is genuine
The video accurately captures an event that occurred on October 11, 2025, showing fans of FC Schalke 04.
The tells
- ●●○ Supporting signal The video appears to depict a large, boisterous crowd, often characteristic of sports events.our visual review
- ●●● Strong signal Misleading context was added to the footage to suggest it was current.our visual review
Synthetic-media detector
Detector ranThe claim stands or falls on whether the media is real, so the detector ran.
Scores are the detector’s estimate for the file as uploaded. A low score does not rule out editing, a spliced caption, or footage shown out of context — those are judged above. Model v3.
How we checked the media
- Conducted searches on the video's origins and prior reporting.
- Reviewed independent news sources that covered the event.
- Accessed social media posts contemporaneous to the original footage.
Sources
4 sources reviewed- 1Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show A Large Group Of Muslims Chanting In Dublin in September 2026 — They Are FC Schalke 04 Hooligans ↗
Lead Stories · leadstories.comPrimary / fact-checkerIFCN; strong on viral/AI mediaEvidence
The video dates back to October 11, 2025, showing FC Schalke 04 supporters in Dublin.
- 2German club Schalke condemns 'completely unjustifiable' behaviour of fans in Dublin ↗
TheJournal.ie · thejournal.ieUntiereduntiered — treated as signal only, never decisiveEvidence
Reports from October 2025 confirm the crowd's identity as Schalke supporters.
- 3German team Schalke apologises after video of supporter assaulting man in Dublin circulates ↗
The42 · the42.ieUntiereduntiered — treated as signal only, never decisiveEvidence
Documented reporting aligns the crowd's activities with the footage.
- 4Soccer hooligans kick a photographer in the head and spit on another ↗
PetaPixel · petapixel.comUntiereduntiered — treated as signal only, never decisiveEvidence
Details of assaults involving the crowd during the event were reported at the time.
Further reading
- 1Lead Stories This source provides a thorough fact-check on the misattribution of the video.
- 2TheJournal.ie It offers additional context about the Schalke supporters and their behavior in Dublin.
- 3The42 The coverage includes significant details about the events that helped to clarify the footage's origin.
- 4PetaPixel It details prior incidents involving the Schalke supporters, providing more context.
The full story
The post claimed that a large group of Muslims were chanting in the streets of Dublin in late September 2026. In reality, the footage John Cleese shared dates back to October 11, 2025, depicting FC Schalke 04 supporters who had gathered for a friendly match. This event was marked by rowdy behavior, leading to assaults on photographers during the march, which was extensively reported at the time. The term 'The Religion of Peace' was misleadingly applied to this old footage, leading viewers to misinterpret the video's context. Logically, this misattribution could arise from a misunderstandable conflation of unrelated events, but the fact remains that independent reporting confirms the authenticity and context of the footage as pertaining to a sports-related crowd, rather than a contemporary religious gathering.
How it was framed
The video itself is authentic but miscontextualized to imply a false narrative about a recent religious gathering.
- Missing context. The caption inaccurately labeled the video to convey a misleading narrative.
Bias
Leans anti-Muslim. The post’s caption ('The Religion of Peace') uses the video to mock or condemn Islam; the footage is unrelated to the religion and predates the claimed timeframe, indicating a narrative intent to portray Muslims negatively.
Bias describes how the post frames its message — the slant of the language, selection and emphasis — and is judged separately from whether the claim is true. A true claim can still be framed with a strong slant.
How we checked
56 s- 1
Executed searches for the video using keywords related to its claims.
- 2
Reviewed multiple news reports confirming the event and its context.
- 3
Opened the original social media posts for visual comparison and date verification.
✓ Claim checked✓ Media checked✓ Sources checked
Why 86% confidence
HighThe high confidence score reflects the abundance of corroborating evidence from reputable sources, affirming that the footage predates the claim.
Limits. We could not obtain additional firsthand testimonies from individuals present during the October 2025 event.
What we don’t know
- The exact motivation behind John Cleese's caption and choice to share the video.
- Potential additional reposts that may perpetuate misattributed contexts.
Spot it yourself
Spot the fakeLooks suspicious, isn’t proof
- The language used ('The Religion of Peace') sounds alarmist and politically charged.
- The video presents a large crowd without additional context, making it easy to misinterpret.
- Low-quality reposts may obscure the original intent of the footage.
The actual evidence
- Independent reporting aligns the video with an event from October 2025, not September 2026.
- The original social media posts confirm the correct event and timing of the footage.
- Visual characteristics of the crowd correspond to previously documented behaviors of Schalke supporters.
- 1
Conduct a search for details on the event shown, including dates and contexts.
Utilize trusted news sources to cross-reference significant events and claims made about them.
- 2
Look for other social media posts related to the same video.
Check the publication dates and accompanying captions to spot discrepancies in dates.
- 3
Perform a reverse image search on the video stills.
This can help uncover previous uses of the footage and confirm its original context.
- 4
Investigate the credibility of the source sharing the video.
Determine whether the poster has a track record of sharing truthful information.
Takeaway
Always verify the context of videos before accepting claims, particularly when the framing seems charged or politicized.
Questions people ask
What does the video show?+
The video shows a group of FC Schalke 04 supporters marching in Dublin on October 11, 2025, not Muslims chanting.
Why is John Cleese's post misleading?+
His post inaccurately presents older footage as if it were a recent event involving Muslims, distorting its true context.
What was happening during the October 2025 event?+
During the event, FC Schalke 04 supporters were marching in Dublin, where instances of confrontational behavior were reported, including assaults on photographers.
How can I verify similar claims in the future?+
Look for timestamps, perform searches for news coverage, and check the credibility of sources to ensure claims about events are accurate.
Go deeper
- Misinformation
- False or misleading information, regardless of intent.
- Contextualization
- Providing adequate background information for understanding an event or content.
- Verification
- The process of establishing the truth or accuracy of a claim or media.
People also search for
For educators+
- How can misleading captions affect public understanding of events?
- What strategies can individuals use to critically assess social media claims?
About this check
- Platform
- X
- Posted by
- @JohnCleese
- Posted
- October 1, 2026
- Age when checked
- 1–2 days old when checked
- Where it spread
- Ireland
- Audience
- UK & EU audience
- Language
- EN
- Status
- ● Post is live
- Verified
- October 3, 2026, 14:46 UTC
- Published
- October 3, 2026, 14:46 UTC
Reach. Posted by actor John Cleese (@JohnCleese) with significant engagement. Fact-checked by Lead Stories and Yahoo News.
This verdict was generated with AI from the sources shown. AI can make mistakes — check the sources before relying on it.
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