Old, Unrelated Photos of Large Crowds Falsely Linked to AAP, INDIA Bloc Rallies

All three photos date back to at least 2022 and have no connection to recent AAP or INDIA bloc rallies.

A set of photos showing massive crowds gathered together are going viral on social media, where users are claiming that they show visuals of rallies taken out in support of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, or scenes from the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance's (INDIA) "Loktantra Bachao" rally at New Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, held on 31 March 2024.

The posts: One X (formerly Twitter) user shared these visuals to mock rallies by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters, who have come together on multiple occasions to protest Kejriwal's arrest.

Other users reshared these images, amplifying the claim.

Social media users also shared this photo, claiming that it shows massive attendance at the 'Loktantra Bachao' rally.

(Archives of more social media posts sharing these claims can be seen here, here, here, here, here, and here.)

But...?: None of these images are recent or related to AAP or the INDIA bloc.

How did we find out?: We ran a reverse image search on all three photos one-by-one, and found that none of them were recent or related to the INDIA bloc or the AAP.

Photo One

A reverse image search using Google Lens on this photo led us to a photo story by The Atlantic dated 21 December 2022.

The article, which carried photos of celebration in Argentina, mentioned that the photo in the viral claim showed the country's national football team riding in an open air bus in Buenos Aires, after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The same photos were also found in reports by American public radio NPR's website, as well as one by the Associated Press.

(Swipe to view screenshots of both reports.)

Photo Two

Following the same steps, we carried out a reverse image search on this photo, too.

• This led us to an article published by the Voice of America on 13 December 2022, which carried this photograph, mentioning Argentinians celebrating their national team advancing to the finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

• Crediting the report and the image to the Associated Press, this photo's caption mentioned that it showed people in Argentina gathering together to celebrate Argentina's win over Croatia at the Obelisco in Buenos Aires.

Stock image website Alamy also had the same photograph, which also carried the same information.

Geolocating the Obelisco in Buenos Aires with Google Maps showed us the same white structure, with the words 'Capital Federal' written on it.

Photo Three

This photo of a massive crowd attending an event was falsely linked to the INDIA bloc's 'Loktantra Bachao' rally at New Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, on 31 March.

However, this photograph dates back to February 2019 and shows a Left Front rally at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata, West Bengal.

The Quint had debunked a false claim surrounding this photograph before the 2019 general elections, when it had gone viral as a photo of PM Modi's rally.

• It was shared in a report by People's Dispatch on 4 February 2019, which said that over ten lakh people had gathered in rally led by the Left Front brigade on 3 February.

• Stock image website Alamy also carried the same photo.

Conclusion: Old, unrelated images showing large gatherings people are being falsely linked to AAP and INDIA bloc rallies ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

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