Post by : Shakul

Dhaka, Bangladesh — A new investigation by The Daily Star and fact‑checking group Dismislab shows that the violent mob attacks on two of Bangladesh’s leading newspapers — The Daily Star and Prothom Alo — were not sudden, but followed online incitement that built up for days before the events last December.

On the night of 18 December 2025, coordinated mobs attacked and set fire to the offices of both newspapers and the cultural institution Chhayanaut in Dhaka. The next evening, the central office of the cultural group Udichi Shilpigosthi was also burned.

Analysts reviewed 3,064 Facebook posts published between 13 and 19 December and found that hostile narratives and direct calls for violence against the papers were widely circulated long before the attacks. Posts labelled the newspapers as “Indian agents” and “anti‑national forces,” and urged people to burn their offices.

Many posts appeared in public groups with tens of thousands of members, spreading slogans like “Burn down Prothom Alo, demolish Daily Star to the ground.” The hours leading up to the attacks saw frequent calls for violence that were visible on Facebook but were not removed in real time.

Evidence shows that law enforcement agencies and Meta did not act on these threats for more than 20 hours, even as some content was being livestreamed. This reflects gaps in both government monitoring of online hate and harmful content moderation by social platforms.

On the ground, mobs blocked emergency services, obstructed firefighters, and vandalised buildings. The Daily Star reported that staff were trapped on rooftops before being rescued hours later, while attackers set fires and looted equipment at both newspaper offices.

Rights groups and journalist associations have condemned the attacks, calling them assaults on press freedom and democratic expression in the run‑up to national elections, and urging authorities to ensure protection for media and impartial investigation.

The findings highlight how online hate speech and incitement can translate into real‑world violence when monitoring systems, preventive protocols, and platform enforcement fail to intervene in time.

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