Viral video of ‘Muslims surrounding Melbourne cathedral’ is completely misleading and inaccurate

Videos from a Muslim gathering in Melbourne are going viral around the world, viewed millions of times. But not all is what it seems.

Millions of people around the world have watched viral videos on social media showing thousands of Muslims gathered outside Melbourne’s largest church, St Patrick’s Cathedral.

The videos, filmed on July 7 this year, are accompanied by comments like “the real war exposed” and “this is an act of war”, but they miss important context and information.

British anti-Islam campaigner Tommy Robinson, who has a legion of fans including 1.3 million followers on X, shared a video with the words: “Insane scenes as hundreds of Muslims circle Melbourne cathedral.”

It was viewed almost two million times and followed by thousands of hateful comments.

Failed Liberal candidate for Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Katherine Deves, whose views on the trans community were met with backlash across both sides of politics in 2022, wrote of the scenes: “A horde of Muslim men surround Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Catholic cathedral in a display of dominance & intimidation.”

Former Victorian Liberal politician Bernie Finn shared the footage on social media, writing: “This is pretty damn odd. Thousands of Muslims surrounded St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne.”

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Right-wing podcasters have pounced on the footage, asking whether the gathering outside one of the largest symbols of Christianity in Australia was “truly part of the route or ... a show of presence, maybe even strength?”.

The footage does show thousands of Muslims outside St Patrick’s Cathedral. But it has nothing to do with Christianity or intimidation. The truth is far less dangerous and scary.

What the footage actually shows is a procession of Muslims doing the same thing they have done for 12 years.

They are participating in a religious commemoration of Ashura — a significant day in Islam, particularly for Shia Muslims.

It marks the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, who stood against injustice and oppression 1400 years ago and died for what he believed in — which happened to be a peaceful and spiritual version of Islam.

Ashura falls on the 10th day of the Islamic calendar month and processions take place in major cities all over the world — including New York, London and Melbourne.

A map shared by organisers of the Melbourne procession shows the route travels from Treasury Gardens along Landsdowne Street, turns left on Albert Street, goes past St Patrick’s Cathedral to Parliament House on Spring Street and finishes back in Treasury Gardens.

The route for the 12th Ashura Procession in Melbourne.

Muslims gather outside St Patrick's Cathedral for Ashura, a procession of mourning.

The Ashura procession did not ‘circle’ the church as has been suggested on social media.

A spokesperson for the Ashura Committee told news.com.au that just like every year police and the City of Melbourne were fully aware of the event. They said Victoria Police sent a letter this year thanking them for a peaceful, well organised procession.

The spokesperson said the group had even reached out to members of St Patrick’s Cathedral and the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne to discuss some of the negative things being suggested about the event on social media.

“The procession in the city has been happening since 2009. It is purely a religious commemoration. It’s non-political event,” the spokesperson said.

He said the negative commentary, which aims to marginalise Muslims, was “unfortunate but not entirely unexpected”.

“Claims in the videos (that the group surrounded the church) are completely false,” he said. “The way it was captured seems to be almost convenient in a sense. Because the march takes the same route every year, it becomes convenient to target that location (with photographs and videos as they pass).”

Social media videos of the event suggest that Muslims stopped outside the church to chant in an act of deliberate provocation.

But organisers say that could not be further from the truth.

News.com.au watched a video of the entire 1hr 42min procession. It shows the group stopping at 30 second intervals to chant and beat their chests.

The view of the procession from the other side shows they were not chanting towards the church.

The rhythmic beating of their chests is a form of mourning and remembrance known as Matam — an expression of grief and sorrow over tragic events.

The Ashura Committee spokesperson said the group took longer passing the Cathedral because it had to account for traffic, including trams passing in front of the iconic bluestone church.

“We’re accommodating Yarra Trams and the size of the procession itself. It’s not just that it has to stop, it’s just the length of it stops.”

Videos showing the Shia gathering appearing to chant directly at the church appear to be misleading.

They show the backs of hundreds of Muslims who have lined the side of Albert Street. The procession is passing between them and the Cathedral, moving along the street.

A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed to news.com.au they were aware of the event and respect the rights of individuals “to practice their faith peacefully”.

“Police were aware the annual Ashura Procession took place in Melbourne on 7 July. There were approximately 5000 people in attendance and the crowd was well behaved.

“There were no incidents during the event that were reported to police. Victoria Police respect the right for individuals to practice their faith peacefully.”

A police source told news.com.au police believe the group paused at Albert Street near the Cathedral to allow the tail end of the group in the march to catch up.

The Ashura Committee spokesperson said the irony of those social media criticisms is that “in order for us to be considered Muslims, we have to respect other religions including Christianity and Judaism”.

The group as they made their way up Landsdowne Street on July 7, 2025, with the St Patrick’s Cathedral in the background.

“Given what had happened, and understanding the members of the church would be impacted by it, we’re actually making an active effort to communicate with the church and clear up any misunderstanding that might exist. We’re actively reaching out,” he said.

News.com.au reached out to the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne for comment but did not receive a response.

Management at the Hossaini Society of Victoria, a non-profit Islamic Community Organisation based in Melbourne, told news.com.au they are aware of the discussions taking place on social media.

“The brief stop near St. Patrick’s Cathedral was simply a point where participants paused to allow others to catch up and for traffic management purposes,” a spokesperson said.

“There was no religious or political intention behind stopping at that particular location.”

They reiterated the importance of interfaith understanding and respect.

“It’s also important to note that Muslims hold Jesus Christ and his mother Mary in the highest regard. We honour them as sacred figures and share with Christians a deep reverence for their role in faith and history.

“Furthermore, we hold deep respect for all ethnic and religious communities of Australia and strongly believe in living together in harmony.

“The peaceful observance of this procession over the last 12 years without any incidents or complaints is a testament to this commitment. We are proud to contribute positively to the multicultural fabric of our society through mutual respect and understanding.”

Originally published as Viral video of ‘Muslims surrounding Melbourne cathedral’ is completely misleading and inaccurate