Fact check: False claim that image shows Mennonites joining the freedom convoy protest

Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY

January 31, 2022 at 5:18 PM·3 min read

The claim: Photo shows Mennonites joining the freedom convey protest

A convoy of Canadian truckers arrived in Ottawa, the country's capital, on Jan. 29 to protest the government's recent mandate that requires cross-border truck drivers to show proof of vaccination.

Social media users are claiming that the Mennonites – a Christian sect who sometimes eschew modern technology and dress like the Amish – also joined in on the self-described "Freedom Convoy." Mennonites live mainly in the U.S. and Canada.

A Facebook post shared Jan. 27 makes the claim alongside a picture showing a row of horse-drawn buggies.

"Mennonites from St-Jacobs (sic) are UNITING to join the freedom convoy TRULY amazing!," reads the text of the post.

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The post generated more than 700 interactions in a few days. Variations of this claim have amassed hundreds of likes on Instagram.

But the claim is false.

The photographer who captured the image told USA TODAY the Mennonites were heading to church, as independent fact-checking organizations have noted.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the claim for comment.

Mennonites not part of convoy

The image in the Facebook post shows a group of Mennonites traveling to a church outside the Waterloo Region in Ontario on Jan. 16.

Michelle Graham, a Canada-based photographer, told USA TODAY she took the picture when she happened to drive past the main road they were traveling on.

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“I pulled over so that all the buggies could get by and decided to take pictures,” Graham said. “They're not part of the convoy to Ottawa for the Canada protest.”

The image can be found on Graham’s website.

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This isn't the first time that misinformation about the freedom convoy protest has surfaced on social media.

Independent fact-checking organizations debunked the claim that a video of Italian truckers was related to the protest. USA TODAY also debunked claims that the Canada truck convoy was included in the Guinness World Record book and that a video showed South Carolina truckers headed to the protest.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that a photo shows Mennonites joining the freedom convey protest. The image shows Mennonites heading to a nearby church, not the Ottawa protest.