WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Photos show violent Islamist riots in Sydney.
OUR VERDICT
False. The photos are from unrelated demonstrations overseas.
AAP FACTCHECK - Foreign-run Facebook pages are falsely claiming violent clashes between police and Islamist rioters have turned Sydney streets into "a warzone".
The posts share photos from past overseas demonstrations and the descriptions do not match any credible reports of recent protests in the city.
The claims are in Facebook posts shared by multiple pages operated from Vietnam and direct users to websites in an attempt to drive engagement and ad revenue.
"SYDNEY STREETS EXPLODE: POLICE SMASH ISLAMIST RIOTERS IN FULL-ON CLASH!" one caption reads.
"Absolute chaos erupted in the heart of Sydney's CBD today as masked Islamist rioters turned the streets into a warzone — hurling bricks, bottles, and abuse while blocking major roads and screaming threats.
"What started as a so-called "protest" quickly descended into full-blown violence."
The post includes a link to a website and a graphic featuring three protest images with the text: "THEY MUST GO! NO MUSLIMS!"
Facebook transparency information shows the page is operated from Vietnam.
A Google reverse image search reveals that all three photos show overseas protests that occurred years ago.
The bottom left image is a Getty Images photo of a far-right march in Kyiv, Ukraine, in October 2018.
The bottom right image is another Getty Images photo depicting anti-fascist counter-protesters demonstrating against a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.
The top image in the post appears to be an altered version of another Getty Images photo from the same rally.
In the original, the words on the board read "No Gods No master race" but this has been changed to "No Muslims!"
The man seen kicking the sign in both images is the same, including the symbol on his helmet.
However, the people in the background look different and the impact of his kick has been enhanced in the altered version.
Another post from a page called Trustworthy Daily has an identical caption about Sydney and the altered photo from the 2017 Charlottesville rally, but it shares two different US images.
The bottom-left image is a Reuters photo of a New York vigil for George Floyd, an African American man killed by a Minneapolis policeman in 2020.
The bottom-right photo shows counter-protesters demonstrating against a rally organised by the far-right Proud Boys group in Washington, DC, in July 2019, according to Getty Images.
Another post claiming "Sydney Streets Explode" shares three images from demonstrations in England and Germany.
The top one is a Reuters photo of a 2024 demonstration in Berlin supporting Palestinians in Gaza.
On the left is a PA Images photo showing a Just Stop Oil climate protest in London in 2022.
The third image is an AFP photo of a man being carried away by London police at a 2025 demonstration against the banning of the Palestine Action group.
There have been a number of high-profile protests in Sydney in recent months, but none of those took place on the days when the Facebook posts were made.
However, police did use pepper spray and punch protesters at a rally in the city opposing Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Australia in February 2026.
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