No evidence for claim that children forced to wear ‘Islamic attire and recite pro-Palestine poems’
The footage was not filmed where Rui Paulo Sousa said it was, and the children are not wearing religious attire
CLAIM
A Portuguese lawmaker claimed a video showed pupils in Amadora being forced to wear “Islamic attire and recite pro-Palestine poems” last week.
BACKGROUND
Rui Paulo Sousa, a lawmaker for Portugal’s populist right-wing Chega party, published a video claiming to show fourth-grade students in the Portuguese municipality of Amadora being made to wear “Islamic attire and recite pro-Palestine poems.”
Sousa posted the video on X on June 28 and received over 43,000 views at the time of writing. He also shared the footage on Facebook at the same time, where it received considerably more attention with 186,000 views, more than 2,000 comments and, crucially, over 1,700 shares.
According to an automated translation, the text accompanying the video said: “SHAME…. at a supposed 4th grade party. This year at Amadora, students are forced to wear Islamic costumes and recite pro-Palestine poems! #SavePortugal”
Sousa is standing as Chega’s candidate for Amadora City Council and published several posts about Amadora around the time he published this video referencing the upcoming local election. Local elections have to be held by October 12 with most parties in favour of the polls to take place on this date, according to reports.
The video was also posted by the president of Chega, Andre Ventura, a short time after Sousa shared it, although he dropped the reference to Amadora. Ventura wrote: “This is Portugal. The boys are forced to wear Islamic attire and recite pro-Palestinian poems. What have our schools become? Do they want to teach them freedom or violence and submission?”
METHOD
It was not immediately clear if the claims made about the video were true and a closer look showed questions were being raised by people responding to the footage.
Hours after the video was posted on X, people began commenting that elsewhere the footage had been shared saying it was recorded in Ovar, a municipality around 240km north of Amadora.
One user wrote: “I know it would be convenient for you if this were in Amadora because of the upcoming local elections, but it was in Ovar, keep lying like that…” Another wrote: “1- It was in Ovar, not Amadora. 2 – According to a relative of one of the parents, whom I know personally, the action referred to is completely out of context.”
A pointer to where the footage may have been recorded came from another user who said it was filmed at Escola Básica de Outeiral (Outeiral Primary School).
A search on Google for the primary school returned a Facebook page for the school’s parent association that contained videos and photos published on the same day as Sousa shared this footage and show the exact same courtyard.
The material is described as showing students from 1st and 2nd grade attending an end-of-year celebration. However, the footage did not show these children, who appear to be slightly older. On Monday, June 30, the school also published a statement saying they were aware of false information being spread on social media.
Using automated translation, the message read: “A false publication has been circulated on social media that uses the image of the Outeiral school in a manipulated manner and with hateful content. The school and the community repudiate this action and reinforce their commitment to peace and respect. Let’s promote truth and unity together!”
The content of the video itself shows children wearing black and white chequered head scarves resembling the keffiyeh — a traditional headscarf worn by men in Arab culture that has come to be associated with Palestinian identity. These scarves are, however, not actual keffiyehs. The keffiyeh is also not a religious symbol in Islam.
According to several people who commented on the post alleging knowledge of the event, the children were reading poems they chose to show solidarity with Palestinians.
RATING
The footage was not filmed in Amadora, as claimed by Chega’s local candidate. They are also not wearing “Islamic attire” and there is no evidence to suggest they were “forced” to either wear the clothes or read pro-Palestinian poems.
SOURCES
Observador. (2025). Rui Paulo Sousa é o candidato do Chega à Câmara da Amadora [online] [Accessed 1 July. 2025].
NPR. (2025). What is a keffiyeh, who wears it, and how did it become a symbol for Palestinians? [online] [Accessed 1 July. 2025].
Facebook. (2025). Available at: Apeo Outeiral. [Accessed 1 July. 2025].
Facebook. (2025). Available at: VERGONHA… numa suposta festa de finalistas do 4.º ano na Amadora...l. [Accessed 1 July. 2025].
Facebook. (2025). Available at: Isto é em Portugal. Os miúdos são obrigados [Accessed 1 July. 2025].
X (formerly Twitter). (2025). Available at: VERGONHA… numa suposta festa de finalistas do 4.º ano na Amadora... [Accessed 1 July. 2025].
X (formerly Twitter). (2025). Available at: O vídeo foi gravado na Escola Básica de Outeiral, em Ovar. [Accessed 1 July. 2025].
X (formerly Twitter). (2025). Available at: Eu sei que lhe dava jeito isto ser na Amadora devido às próximas… [Accessed 1 July. 2025].
X (formerly Twitter). (2025). Available at: Não meu “amigo* não aconteceu nada como o Sr deputado postou… [Accessed 1 July. 2025].