A photoshop CNN report declaring that the left-wing anti-fascist movement Antifa has claimed responsibility for the storming of Capitol Hill has circulated online. However, the image has been digitally altered.
The image shows protesters waving “Trump 2020” flags along with a CNN news banner that reads: “ANTIFA HAS JUST TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY (sic) FOR STORMING CAPITAL (sic) HILL”. It spread on Facebook (here, here and here).
The image contradicts Reuters’ reports that Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building on January 6 (here). CNN did not post such news on its website, and reporters call the protesters who stormed the capital “pro-Trump rioters” (here).
There are clear signs that the screenshot has been doctored, for example that the news banner incorrectly spelled ‘responsibility’ and ‘Capitol Hill’, and that the fonts do not match the CNN style.
Antifa is also a decentralized, amorphous group (here), so it is unlikely that they would make an official statement.
A reverse image search showed that the real photo was a thumbnail of a CNN video with a bulletin that read: ‘THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: CONGRESS COUNTS’ (bit.ly/3bj3euE) and was released on January 6. the CNN politics website posted. (here, go over to 1:23).
This is not the first misinformation that blames the riots in Washington DC on Antifa. Reuters recently denied allegations that a protester storming the Capitol with a fur coat was previously part of Antifa (here) and that Antifa had received private guidance for the DC police protests (here).
VERDICT
Alter. This image of CNN news coverage from January 6 has been altered to show a news bulletin that Antifa has admitted to storming Capitol Hill.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to actually check social media posts.