Fact check: Fake news surrounding Los Angeles protests
Fake news surrounding Los Angeles protests (Image: AP)
Los Angeles has been rocked by widespread unrest following a series of immigration raids carried out by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. What began as demonstrations against the agency quickly escalated, with tear gas, hundreds of arrests, and clashes transforming parts of the city into scenes of violent protests.
On social media, the turmoil has fuelled a wave of viral videos and dramatic claims; with many of them being misleading and unfounded.
DW Fact Check investigated a few of the widely shared ones.
Old video falsely linked to LA protests
Claim
: "OVERNIGHT IN LA: Illegal Aliens light themselves on FIRE after dousing Jeep with gasoline and lighting it." This is claimed in a post on X with nearly 2.8 million views. Along with the claim, a video is shared showing a group of young people pouring gasoline on a Jeep before it explodes in flames.
The same footage has been widely shared across platforms including YouTube and Instagram, all claiming it shows part of the current unrest in Los Angeles.
DW Fact Check
: False.
The video is not related to the current protests. It first appeared online in March 2024 and shows a street takeover in Los Angeles' Hyde Park neighbourhood, unrelated to immigration raids or migrant protests.
A visible watermark in several versions of the clip links it to an Instagram account that regularly posts viral videos of car crashes, explosions, and street racing scenes.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
You Can Make Massive Side Income By Learning Order Flow Analysis
TradeWise
Learn More
The video was published on that account on March 9, 2024.
A reverse image search leads to a Daily Mail article from March 2024 featuring screenshots from the same video and providing details of the street takeover, referring to when a group of people meet to showcase their cars and driving abilities. Searching keywords related to the Hyde Park incident in Los Angeles also yields additional reports and images from local outlets, confirming the video's original context.
Cars have been set on fire during the recent unrest in Los Angeles, as documented by photo agencies and verified news sources. However, this video does not show a current incident.
Are photos of personnel lying on the ground actually from Afghanistan?
On Sunday, June 8, National Guard personnel began arriving in Los Angeles after an order by US President Donald Trump. Images of them sleeping on the ground went viral on several platforms (like on X and Instagram) and are accompanied by different claims.
Some criticize Trump for having deployed the troops without taking adequate precautions. Amongst them is California's Democratic Govenor Gavin Newsom who is a fierce critic of Trump.
His post on X which includes the photos has been viewed more than 30 million times. Others allege the images are old and taken out of context.
Claim
: In this post on X, with over 49,000 views at the time of writing, the claim is shared that the photographs were taken in Afghanistan in 2021.
The same claim has been made in this TikTok video that has been viewed over 215,000 times.
DW Fact Check
: False
The photos were published by the San Francisco Chronicle on June 9, 2025. The newspaper, based in California, states that they obtained the photographs.
Reverse image searches (like here and here) also do not reveal any older versions of the photographs, which means they have most likely not been published on the internet before.
They do lead to similar images of National Guard personnel lying on the ground, like these taken in parking garages in the US in 2021, as news reports from that time show. Those photographs do not match the images in the claim, however, as the latter lack white walls with red stripes.
Additionally, in the older news reports we see people wearing face masks, as 2021 was still the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. No masks are worn in the pictures of the current claims.
In the post's comment section, some users turned to Grok, X's AI chatbot, to try to verify the time and place the photographs were taken. Grok first indicated that they were taken in Afghanistan in 2021. Upon further questioning, Grok then suggests they may have been taken at the US Capitol in 2021, before replying it is "9 out of 10 certain the photos are from 2025," pointing to the unreliability of the answers of the AI chatbot.
We reached out to the San Francisco Chronicle to obtain more detailed information. The well-known newspaper confirmed the authenticity of the photos and shared an article in which it responds to the circulating claims showing the photographs being taken out of context. It includes a comment from the US Defense Department made to the fact checking organization Snopes, also confirming that the photographs "appear to be authentic.
"
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
450 kg paneer seized in Chandigarh: 5 ways to check the purity of paneer
Chandigarh's health department seized 450 kg of adulterated paneer and dairy products during a raid, prompting concerns about food safety. Officials cautioned consumers against unusually cheap paneer, as genuine production costs exceed Rs 300 per kg. Paneer is a rich source of protein and other nutrients. Unfortunately, this nutritious food is often making news due to the on-going adulteration in the market. In a major crackdown in Chandigarh, health department officials have seized around 450 kg of paneer and other dairy products from a shop and a vehicle. Scroll down to read the details. According to a TOI report, the food safety administration of the Chandigarh health department conducted a raid in Bapudham Colony, Sector 26 and seized around 450 kg of paneer and other dairy products including ghee and dahi from a shop and a vehicle. As per the report, the seized samples have been sent to a food safety analyst laboratory authorised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Also, two challans were issued under Section 63 of the Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006. According to the designated officer-cum-licensing authority for food safety, customers should be vigilant while buying paneer from the market. He cautioned consumers against being misled by unusually low prices. As per the report, the cost of paneer cannot be as low as Rs 250 per kg, as it takes about 3 litres of milk with sufficient fat content to produce 1 kg of paneer. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo The processing cost alone would exceed Rs 300, the official explained in the report. As per reports, fake paneer is often made by mixing milk powder and water, which is further curdled with lime juice and acetic acid. To which palm oil is added to make it appear creamy and glossy. But the question of concern here is how to recognize a fake paneer at home. While the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a lot of tests and measures to check adulteration in milk and milk products, there are certain ways in which you can do the quality check of store-bought paneer at home as well. Take a look at the following tips and tricks: Try the hand test Take a small amount of paneer and mash it using clean hands. Pure, unadulterated paneer will hold its texture, while adulterated paneer—often made from skimmed milk—will crumble or break apart under slight pressure. Use iodine tincture To test whether the paneer is natural or artificial, one can use iodine tincture. Add water to a pan, place the paneer in it, and bring it to a boil. Let it cool down, then add a few drops of iodine tincture and see if the color changes to blue, which means the paneer is artificial. Use arhar dal For this test, boil paneer in some water, and after it cools down, add some tur dal powder and let it rest for 10 minutes. If the color of the paneer changes to light red, it is a sign that the paneer is made with detergent or urea. Use soybean powder Boil some paneer in water, let it cool down, and then add some soybean powder to it. If the color of the paneer changes to light red, it is a sign that the paneer is made with detergent or urea. Taste test Always take a small bite of paneer before you buy it, especially open counter ones. If it is chewy, it is artificial, and if it tastes very sour, then there are chances that paneer is adulterated with detergent or any other substandard product. Thumb and Embed Images Courtesy: istock One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
NIA chargesheets ULFA (I) chief Paresh Baruah, 2 others for IED blast conspiracy in Assam
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted three persons including Myanmar-based banned outfit ULFA (I) chief Paresh Baruah for being part of a conspiracy to carry out multiple IED blasts in Assam on Independence Day last year, officials said on Saturday. Baruah, also known as Paresh Asom, Kamruj Zaman Khan, Nur-uz-Zaman, Zaman Bhai, Pradip, Paban Baruah is the chairman and self styled Commander-in-Chief of the proscribed terrorist group United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I), they said. Baruah, along with Abhijit Gogoi alias Abhijeet Gogoi and Jahnu Boruah alias Arnob Asom alias Huntu, has been charged under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and the Explosive Substances Act in a court in Guwahati on Friday, the NIA said in a statement. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 25 Best Cities for Living Undo The three were found to be linked to Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted by the outfit at Dispur Last Gate in Guwahati as part of a broader ULFA (I) conspiracy to trigger multiple blasts across Assam to disrupt Independence Day celebrations in 2023, the agency said. The NIA, which took over the probe in September 2024, found that the IEDs were planted with the intent to cause death or injury, destroy property, and threaten the unity, integrity, and sovereignty of India and to spread terror among the people. PTI
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Editors pick newsletter Accident Investigation Bureau recovers Blackbox of the Air India aircraft
Twenty-eight hours after the deadly Air India plane crash that killed 241 people on board, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Thursday recovered the black box that could provide crucial evidence about what caused the fatal occurrence. It was recovered from the wreckage of the aircraft – a part of which had barged into the roof of the BJ Medical College's hostel minutes after it took off from the Ahmedabad airport. The black box encases two critical data recording devices, that is, the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). The latter records radio transmissions and sounds in the cockpit (such as engine noise or the pilot's voice) whilst the former monitors variables such as airspeed, altitude and direction. The two are considered particularly essential in reconstructing the chain of events that lead to an aircraft accident. Though called a 'black box', the metal case is usually orange, as the brighter colour makes it easier for it to be identified amid debris. The equipment is located at the tail of the aircraft – which happened to be the only part of the plane remaining intact in Thursday's fatal occurrence. The airplane crash in Gujarat's capital Ahmedabad is the first fatal accident of Boeing's Dreamliner family of planes. A team of U.S. National Transport Safety Board and aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Authority, would assist AAIB in investigating the cause of one of the worst aviation disasters in the past decade. Further, India's aviation safety regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday issued fresh inspection guidelines for the airline's Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet, which are powered by GE Aerospace's GEnx engines. The North American engine manufacturer maintained safety was their top priority extending support to the latest actions. The Hindu's Editorial The Hindu's Daily Quiz When will U.S. President Donald Trump's 90-day pause on his 'Liberation Day' tariff hikes end? June 30 July 9 July 1 July 2 To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here.
