FACT CHECK: Do These Images Show A Police Riot Control Vehicle Heading To Portland?
Images shared on Facebook purportedly show a blue police riot control vehicle driving north through Salem, Oregon.
Verdict: False
The photos are product images that appear to have been taken at the developer’s Slovakian headquarters.
Fact Check:
Multiple Facebook users shared two images of the blue police riot control vehicle as protests and riots have occurred in Portland for weeks. To quell the unrest, the Trump administration authorized the deployment of federal agents to the city, though the Department of Homeland Security and the state have since reached an agreement for them to leave, according to The New York Times.
“Holyshutthefrontdoor (sic). Seen loaded going up thru Salem Oregon going north. Probably to Portland Oregon where the riots have been,” reads the text accompanying the post. (RELATED: Does This Image Show A ‘Federal Stormtrooper’ In Portland?)
Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found the two photos on the website for the Slovakian company Way Industries. The photos depict a Bozenna Police Protection Union that is “designed to control riots in streets and urbanized areas and to protect the law-enforcement units in action whenever peace maintenance is required,” according to the website. 2010 footage of the vehicle can also be found on YouTube.
Reuters reported that the photos are product images that appear to have been taken at Way Industries’ headquarters in Krupina, Slovakia. In the top photo, the company logo on the building and the chimney match those in the Google Maps street view of the Slovakian facility.
Way Industries and the Salem Police Department did not respond to requests for comment.