An article shared on Facebook claims over 160 paid protesters recently filed a lawsuit against billionaire George Soros for not paying their bail.

Facebook/Screenshot

Verdict: False

There is no evidence to support the article’s claim. It originated on the satire website Taters Gonna Tate.

Fact Check:

The website Englishwire.today published the article, titled “163 Paid Protesters Just Filed A Lawsuit Against George Soros For Not Paying Their Bail,” on June 12. It alludes to the debunked theory that Soros, a billionaire investor who donates to progressive causes through his Open Society Foundations, has paid people to protest at certain events.

“According to the ad Soros placed on Craigslist, protesters would be fully compensated for all of their time and expenses,” reads the article. “They found out that the money dried up the moment they got arrested.” (RELATED: Viral Image Claims To Show Recruitment Flyer For ‘Professional Anarchist’ Job Funded By George Soros)

Social media users shared the story amid nationwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality after George Floyd died on May 25 in Minneapolis police custody.

But the Englishwire.today article’s claim doesn’t hold up. There is no news reporting to corroborate such a lawsuit, and Paid Liberal Trolls of America, the company mentioned that purportedly belonging to Soros, appears to be fabricated. A reverse image search of the article’s featured image reveals it was taken in France in 2018 during the yellow vest protests.

The Daily Caller News Foundation found a nearly identical article posted on Taters Gonna Tate, a parody news website that describes itself as part of a network that publishes “parody, satire, and tomfoolery.” Englishwire.today appears to have lifted the story from that website without making clear its satirical origins, a common move that propagates misinformation.

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