People are having an absolute field day with a photo of the ‘massive’ pro-Tommy Robinson march

On 14 July, supporters of the English Defence League’s (EDL) ex-leader Tommy Robinson staged a protest in London. The protest also had a pro-Trump message. It is estimated that around 2,000 people took part.
But one of Robinson’s supporters didn’t appear convinced by estimates from news outlets. Taking to Twitter, they claimed the protest was bigger than an anti-Trump demonstration held the previous day. That protest was attended by up to 250,000 people.
Alongside their claim, they posted this image:
This was the Tommy Robinson and Pro-Trump Rally today in London 14th July 2018. The crowd is bigger than the Anti-Trump protest held yesterday. The main stream media won't talk about it. #TommyRobinsonMarch #TommyRobinson #freetommy #FreeTommyRobinson #iamtommyrobinson #iamtommy pic.twitter.com/Q7gGg6BbkD
— Rebbecca Robertson (@beccamebabe) July 14, 2018
Read on...
A fake photo
But the photo wasn’t taken at the pro-Tommy Robinson march. It wasn’t even a photo of London. In fact, the photo is of Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt.
So people took to Twitter to point out the obvious. They did so by mocking the original tweet and sharing fake photos of their own:
Here's one from another angle, with London's post office tower in the background. pic.twitter.com/CQp9339IPu
— Mike Bevan #FBPE (@MikeBevan_RG) July 14, 2018
Wasn’t it amazing! pic.twitter.com/5UfRSSJFEv
— James (@sonofthechief2) July 14, 2018
The Tommeh fans even had a massive tent with bands and music and stuff. pic.twitter.com/5dfMTSxBZk
— Mike Bevan #FBPE (@MikeBevan_RG) July 14, 2018
Not the first time
This isn’t the first time supporters of Robinson have spread fake photos of their rallies. In June, another Twitter user posted a photo of what they claimed was a pro-Robinson march:
https://twitter.com/RealitySmash/status/1005550049496109058
Once again, it turned out the photo was of an entirely different event. This time, it was a photo of Liverpool FC fans celebrating their team’s Champions League victory.
Robinson supporters aren’t dropping their habit of spreading fake images to inflate the size of their protests. But people are seeing through them, and they won’t stop exposing them either.
Get involved!
– Join The Canary, so we can keep holding the powerful to account.
Featured image via C. Suthorn – Wikimedia Commons
We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support
The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.
The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.
So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.