What was claimed
A video shows hundreds of motorcycle riders heading to an anti-Islam protest in the US.
Our verdict
False. The footage shows bikers taking part in a charity ride in Brazil.
AAP FACTCHECK - A video showing hundreds of motorcyclists riding in formation down a Brazilian highway is being misrepresented as bikers flocking to an anti-Islam protest in the US.
The false claim has spread across social media, gaining millions of views worldwide.
An Australian user is one of those sharing the misinformation in a post that has been viewed more than 260,000 times.
"Old school riders heading to Dearborn .when August [sic]," overlay text on the video reads.
"Why? It's the centre of Islam Take over in the USA."
The video shows a pack of motorcycle riders travelling down a major road before cutting to a clip (timestamp 40 seconds) purporting to show a protest in Dearborn in the US.
"You remember Dearborn? 45,000 people were chanting death to America on American soil," the narrator claims.
This is a reference to a 2024 protest in Dearborn, Michigan, where a crowd chanted death to America, according to a CBS News report.
The Facebook video then cuts to a man sitting on a motorcycle.
"Well, the bikers have had enough and they're coming from every state, and they're riding in formation and their message is simple: This is America," the man says.
But the footage does not show bikers heading to Dearborn.
Google reverse image searches reveal the footage is from a July 5 TikTok video from an account that posted several videos of the same motorcycle rally.
Some of the other clips of the event include the hashtag "Insano", which appears to refer to the Insanos motorcycle club based in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
In one of the videos, many of the riders can be seen wearing the club's patches on their backs, as shown on the group's official Facebook page.
The Insanos MC page posted a Facebook video in early July promoting an annual motorcycle ride called "Bonde Pela Vida" on July 3, 4 and 5, 2026.
The club has also uploaded videos from the event to YouTube.
An Instagram account run by the club describes the rally as a charity event aimed at suicide prevention, according to an English translation.
AFP Fact Check has also debunked a similar Facebook post and geolocated the footage to the Rodovia dos Bandeirantes highway on the outskirts of Sao Paulo based on several distinctive features.
There was an anti-Islam protest held in Dearborn, Michigan, on August 18, where 22 people were arrested, according to CBS News.
While thousands of protesters were expected, Dearborn Police said it only attracted "several hundred demonstrators".
AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, BlueSky, TikTok and YouTube.
