A video shared on Facebook claims to show German farmers protesting against vaccine mandates.

Verdict: Misleading

While the video does show German farmers protesting in January 2022, the target of the protest was agricultural regulations, not vaccine mandates. A spokesperson for the German Farmers Association confirmed it had nothing to do with vaccines.

Fact Check:

The Facebook video, dated Jan. 28, shows dozens of tractors and other vehicles lining up on a two-lane road. Some of the vehicles have their lights flashing and at least one vehicle is adorned with a German flag.

“Go Germany! Farmers and Truckers in Germany Unite in Convoy to Protest Vaccine Mandates,” reads the video’s caption, in part. It goes on to claim the protest featured in the video took place in Schwerin, Germany.

An internet search revealed that a convoy of 350 German farmers and their tractors did protest in Schwerin, Germany Jan. 28, but it had nothing to do with vaccine mandates. Rather, the demonstration was in opposition to agricultural regulations, including a proposed fertilizer ordinance that would limit the amount of fertilizer farmers could use, according to German news outlet Norddeutscher Rundfunk. Video of the demonstration shared by the outlet matches the footage shared on Facebook.

Additional photos of the protest found on the stock photo website Alamy also match the footage shared on Facebook. (RELATED: Does This Video Show French Farmers Protesting Vaccine Policies?)

Levke Hannemann, a spokesperson for the German Farmers Association, told Check Your Fact in an email that “the protests in Schwerin are not related to the vaccines or even the current policies regarding covid in Germany.”

“They protested against the regulations of fertilizer,” Hannemann explained. “There have been many protests by farmers in the last few years, mostly about new regulations that would impact their farms greatly.”