FACT CHECK: Viral Image Claims To Show BBC News Article About Unusual Hong Kong Protester Tactics

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

An image shared on Facebook more than 200 times allegedly shows a screen grab of a BBC News article with the headline: “Hong Kong protester arrested for using giant spoon against water gun vehicles.”

Verdict: False

There’s no record of BBC News ever publishing this article. It appears to be a photoshopped screen grab of another article.

Fact Check:

Demonstrations erupted across Hong Kong in June after the government proposed a bill to allow extradition to mainland China. Though they began as protests against the now-withdrawn legislation, the demonstrations have since evolved into a broader movement for the region’s autonomy.

Numerous media outlets have reported on the escalating clashes between Hong Kong police and pro-democracy activists in the past few months. (RELATED: Does This Image Show Trash Left By Climate Change Protesters In Chicago?)

The alleged article, which was screen grabbed and posted on Facebook, masquerades as a piece of BBC News content, with the headline, “Hong Kong protester arrested for using giant spoon against water gun vehicles.” It also includes a picture of a person wearing a respirator and holding a large spoon.

At first glance, the article appears authentic. It bears the BBC News logo, while also mimicking the format typically used by the BBC News mobile website.

However, it appears to be a photoshopped screen grab of another article. The Daily Caller found no record of the alleged article on the BBC News website nor on any of the network’s social media accounts. A search for media reports of Hong Kong protesters using unusual tools to protect themselves from police also yielded no results.

President Donald Trump signed a law Nov. 27 mandating sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials who commit human rights abuses and an annual review of Hong Kong’s favorable trade status, according to Reuters.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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