2016 Image Shared as Recent Protest by Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil

The viral image dates back to 2016 and shows protests against Brazil's former President Dilma Rousseff.

A photograph showing a huge crowd dressed in yellow and green clothes has gone viral on the internet as that from Brazil.

What is the claim?: The claim states that it shows people protesting against the alleged election fraud, following results of the recently-concluded elections in Brazil that saw Jair Bolsonaro lose to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

(Archives of more such posts from Facebook can be found here and here.)

What is the truth?: While there have been protests in Brazil against the election results, this viral image is from 2016.

How did we find that out?:

• We conducted a reverse image search on the viral image using Google and found several similar images of protests near the National Congress Palace, but most of them dated back to at least 2015.

• One of the photographs, posted on Wikimedia Commons, stated that the protest was against the then President Dilma Rousseff.

• Taking a cue from that, we conducted a keyword search and found that the same image in the archives of news agency Associated Press (AP).

A comparison of the two images can be seen below.

Why were there protests against President Rousseff?: Protests against Rousseff took place in Brazil from 2015-2016 over recession and a corruption scandal involving her.

• She was impeached and removed from office by the Senate in September 2016.

What happened in the recent elections?: The outgoing president, Bolsonaro, lost a runoff election on 30 October to former president Lula da Silva.

Are there protests happening right now?:

• Supporters of Bolsonaro have taken to streets since the results were announced.

• While law enforcement officers managed to clear some streets after the first wave of protests, news reports from 18 November say that people had started coming out in protests in huge numbers again.

Conclusion: An old photograph from a protest held in 2016 was shared as a recent one from Brazil.

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