Fact Check: Venezuela protests US capture of President Maduro? No, image shows 2024 election rally
An image has been circulating on social media, claiming it shows Venezuela protesting the US abduction of President Maduro.
By - Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The image shows Venezuela protesting the US abduction of President Maduro.
Fact:The claim is false. The image shows the concluding event of Maduro’s 2024 Presidential election campaign.
Hyderabad: Amid the crisis in Venezuela after the US abducted President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, an image has been circulating on social media claiming to show a protest against the US action in Venezuela.
A Facebook user criticising the US action of abduction, shared the image and wrote, “Venezuela....... Protest against imperialism.”
An X user shared the image and wrote, “People of Venezuela support and love their President Nicolás Maduro Moros.”
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the image is from 2024 and shows the concluding event of Maduro’s 2024 election campaign.
Does the image depict a protest after the US capture of Maduro?
A reverse image search led us to the same photo along with a video posted by an X user on July 26, 2024. According to the post, the video and image depict a huge gathering at Maduro’s campaign closing rally ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
We also found the image in a report published by the website Pressenza on July 31, 2024. According to the description provided for the image, it depicts the end of Maduro’s election campaign.
This confirms that the image is from 2024 and does not depict a protest after the US special forces captured Maduro. The claim is false.
Is Venezuela protesting the US for abducting Maduro?
As per a range of news reports (links here and here), Venezuela is not reacting uniformly. While some citizens are protesting what they view as an illegal US abduction of their president, there is another section, particularly opposition supporters and Venezuelans living abroad, who are celebrating the possibility that this could bring an end to Maduro’s rule.
