Fact check: Image of Dutch protest unrelated to Canadian truckers

Ella Lee, USA TODAY
·4 min read

The claim: A photo shows a Dutch protest in support of Canadian COVID-19 demonstrations

Droves of Canadians have traveled to Ottawa to protest a recent government vaccine requirement for cross-border truckers. On Facebook, some claim the protesters have international support.

A Feb. 1 post claims people in the Netherlands are demonstrating in solidarity with the truckers.

"When a country comes together like Canada has, it inspires others to do the same," reads text in the post, which includes an image of a traffic jam with tractors and pedestrians. "The entire world is watching you #Trudeau."

The post received almost 300 shares in four days. But it's being taken out of context.

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The image does show a protest in the Netherlands. However, it's not in support of Canadian truckers – the image is from 2019, when Dutch farmers protested environmental regulations.

USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment.

Photo shows Dutch protest over environmental restrictions

The protest pictured in the Facebook post had nothing to do with COVID-19 restrictions.

The Agence France-Presse reported in German that the photo was taken in 2019 by Dutch members of the group "Land Creates Connection," according to a Google translation of the article. The image was first shared online in a now-deleted December 2019 article about the protests.

Trucks line streets in Toronto on Feb. 5, 2022. A convoy of truckers and supporters have occupied downtown Ottawa since last Saturday in protest of Canada's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, with convoys branching out to other major cities such as Toronto this weekend.
Trucks line streets in Toronto on Feb. 5, 2022. A convoy of truckers and supporters have occupied downtown Ottawa since last Saturday in protest of Canada's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, with convoys branching out to other major cities such as Toronto this weekend.

The first COVID-19 outbreaks were documented in Wuhan, China, in mid-December 2019. News reports about the Dutch protests show they took place two months prior.

The protesting farmers said the government was unfairly blaming them for issues contributing to climate change while the aviation industry received little criticism, according to the BBC. At the time, police said more than 2,200 protesters participated in the demonstration in The Hague. Similar protests have occurred in the Netherlands since then.

In Canada, truckers who dubbed themselves the "Freedom Convoy" are protesting cross-border COVID-19 vaccine requirements that took effect Jan. 15. The U.S. has a similar policy that went into effect Jan. 22, according to The Washington Post.

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The Guardian reported that a similar protest may take place in the U.S., where the Canadians' demonstration has received support from prominent figures like Elon Musk and a number of federal lawmakers. The Toronto Star reported that people in a number of other countries are also planning protests in solidarity.

USA TODAY reached out to Land Creates Connection for comment.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that a photo shows a Dutch protest in support of Canadian COVID-19 demonstrations. The image is from 2019, when Dutch farmers protested environmental regulations. The demonstration had nothing to do with COVID-19.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Canadian 'Freedom Convoy' unrelated to Dutch protest image

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