A viral image shared on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, purports to show former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson giving a raised arm salute at a recent public event.

Screenshot captured via X

Verdict: False

The image is digitally altered. The image was originally shared to the platform by user @smak_media, who admitted it was photoshopped in a subsequent post.

Fact Check:

British officials reportedly expressed their concerns about Johnson’s conduct when he served as Prime Minister to Buckingham Palace and suggested Queen Elizabeth discuss these concerns with Johnson privately, according to BBC News. The revelation was supposedly made in a new BBC documentary series, the outlet reported.

The image, shared on X and viewed over 100,000 times, purports to show Johnson giving a raised arm salute at a recent public event. In the photo, three other people standing next to Johnson can be seen giving the same salute. “They are all compromised. Corrupt. And most importantly, CONTROLLED by their masters,” the image’s caption reads.

The image is digitally altered and was originally shared to X by Ukrainian user @smak_media on Sept. 10.

“Photo of the day: Boris Johnson, with a traditional Galician gesture, sincerely congratulates the students of LNU on the beginning of the academic year and shows that the movement on the ladder of knowledge should only go up,” the image’s caption reads.

In a subsequent post, the same social media user who posted the image admitted it was photoshopped.

Bro…
I made this photo in Photoshop…

— Smak (@smak__media) September 12, 2023

Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find any credible news reports that included the viral X photo or suggested that Johnson made the purported gesture. Johnson also has not publicly addressed the claim. (RELATED: Was Boris Johnson Heckled While Vacationing In Greece?)

The original photo of Johnson appeared in an article published by the Ukrainian outlet News 24. The photo shows Johnson receiving his honorary doctorate at Lviv Franko National University, according to the outlet.

Check Your Fact has contacted Johnson and News 24 for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.