Photo shows people protesting the 2020 election in Washington D.C. on Jan. 5, 2021.
Get PolitiFact in your inbox.
This photo is from the March for Our Lives demonstration in 2018
If Your Time is short
- This photo was taken in March 2018, when hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Washington D.C. for the March for Our Lives demonstration protesting gun violence.
Thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump have gathered in Washington D.C. to protest the results of the 2020 election, but a photo showing people jammed together on Pennsylvania Avenue in the capital city is from 2018, not 2021.
Some recent social media posts have suggested otherwise.
"This is the crowd size today and (they) expect even more tomorrow, January 6th," one Facebook post said.
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
Salwan Georges, the Washington Post photojournalist who took the photo, clarified on Twitter that he captured the crowd in the image on March 24, 2018, during the March for Our Lives demonstration. The event was organized by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who were calling for action against gun violence after a gunman killed 17 people on their Parkland, Fla., campus. It drew hundreds of thousands of people from across the country.
Featured Fact-check
The Washington Post is also covering the rallies happening in D.C. on Jan. 6, when Congress is poised to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. A permit issued by the National Park Service indicated that rally organizers expect about 30,000 people to attend. Whether that estimate is accurate remains to be seen.
But the photo spreading on social media is definitely not from this month.
We rate that claim False.
This fact check is available at IFCN’s 2020 US Elections #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here, for more.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Jan. 5, 2021
Salwan Georges tweet, Jan. 5, 2021
The Washington Post, Thousands of Trump’s supporters gather in D.C. to protest election results, Jan. 6, 2020
The Washington Post, ‘Never again!’ Students demand action against gun violence in nation’s capital, March 24, 2018
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Ciara O'Rourke
This photo is from the March for Our Lives demonstration in 2018
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.