Hundreds of users on social media shared a photo of a large crowd, some of whom had signs in a roundabout inside a building, claiming it showed protesters storming the U.S. Capitol in 2018 during the confirmation hearings for the then nominated Brett Kavanaugh, Supreme Court. The image was falsely labeled: it actually shows a demonstration in the Wisconsin State Capitol during protests in 2011.
The meme, which circulated on social media with the low-resolution photo, contains the text: “Remember that democratic protesters stormed the US Capitol in 2018, took over the US Senate building and tried during the Kavanaugh confirmation to get into the U.S. Supreme Court? Democratic lawmakers and the MSM applauded it. If it were not for double standards, liberals would not have standards at all. ”
The meme was shared here by musician Ted Nugent on Facebook. Other posts are visible here, here and here.
A reverse search on the photo shows that it has been circulating online since 2011 and appears here in a report by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) here as part of their coverage of the protest action in Wisconsin against a bill by the then Republican Governor Scott Walker. , which will limit the bargaining rights of public unions to save immediate budget (here).
According to the CMD, the photo was taken by Mary Bottari (here) on February 18, 2011 at around 3:00 PM ET (here), on the fourth day of a series of demonstrations that ended on June 16 (here, here).
A similar corner of the roundabout was captured here by Reuters photographer Darren Hauck. More Reuters photos of the Wisconsin event can be seen here and here.
As reported here by Reuters, the protesters attracted both supporters and opponents of the bill, but the latter exceeded the number. Video footage through local news items can be viewed here and here.
In early September 2018, protesters disrupted Kavanaugh’s four-day confirmation hearings in Washington DC (here, here, here). It is also true that protesters were removed by the police (here) from the trial room in the Capitol and 217 people, mostly members of the Women’s March, were arrested (of which 177 were in the hearing room). Most were charged with disorderly conduct, paid a fine of $ 35 and were released. Footage of protesters at Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings can be seen here.
As reported here and here by Reuters, protests continued in the Senate office buildings (here) and outside the Supreme Court (here) until Kavanaugh was sworn in on October 6, 2018 (here, here, here, here). At least 400 protesters were arrested in October.
VERDICT
Incorrectly marked. Pictured are crowds in the Capitol of Wisconsin during a rally amid a proposal by the Republican bill to reduce the bargaining power of public unions in February 2011. Some protesters entered the Capitol during protests against Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work here to check out social media posts.