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| - Fact Check: Did Rahul Gandhi's US audience sit through the National Anthem? There's more than meets the eye
The event moderator signalled everyone who stood up with her to remain seated. She later explained that it was just a mic check, not the actual performance.
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India Today Fact Check
As soon as the choir began to sing, the moderator signalled everyone who stood up to remain seated. She later clarified that this was just a mic check and not the actual performance of the national anthem.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on May 30 addressed the Indian diaspora in San Francisco, US. Speaking at the event "Mohabbat ki Dukan” organised by the Indian Overseas Congress, Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party government for its policies and alleged misuse of democratic institutions to stifle any opposition and resistance.
Gandhi's event in the US, like his lecture at Cambridge earlier this year, sparked fierce controversy and a political slugfest. A video from the event has now gone viral for all the wrong reasons. Sharing the video on Twitter, many claimed that the audience during Gandhi's event remained seated while the National Anthem was being sung.
In the video, a choir of students could be seen singing the National Anthem. While few people stood up, others could be seen seated. One person tweeted, "During India's National Anthem, Rahul Gandhi's audience was seated and refused to stand." The archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
India Today found the viral video was clipped out of context. It was shot during a mic check, and not the actual performance of the National Anthem.
Our Probe
A keyword search on Twitter led us to an extended version of the video, which too was shared with a similar accusation. In it, as soon as the anthem began, a woman at the mic gestured at everyone who stood up to pay respects, signalling them to remain seated. The anthem then stopped mid-way and the woman informed the audience that it was just a mic check.
She could be heard saying, “I see so many patriots here. I really appreciate it. Please sit down. This is only a mic check. Sorry about that." She reiterated to the people who were still standing that it was a mic check.
In the video, we observed that hearing the National Anthem being sung, a few people immediately stood up. Some followed suit, while others did not. Some people also took their seats again after the moderator signalled them to remain seated.
The children were rehearsing the National Anthem before their final performance. It appears that this occurred before the event began as there was a sparse crowd and many empty seats could be seen in the video. People in the hall were unevenly seated and could be seen hobnobbing.
We also found a complete video of the entire event, where towards the end, the children finally sang the National Anthem. When this happened, Rahul Gandhi and Sam Pitroda were also seen standing among the children and singing along with them. The crowd around the stage could be seen standing. The camera angle, however, did not allow for the whole audience to be captured.
Regardless, it is clear that a video of children rehearsing the National Anthem is being shared with the false claim that the audience at Rahul Gandhi's event in San Francisco didn't bother to stand up during its performance.
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