Fact check: Aerial photo shows June BLM protest in Seattle, not gathering to demand mail-in voting
The claim: Thousands protested in Seattle demanding mail-in voting
Amid calls for vote-by-mail expansion due to COVID-19 concerns, a photo of a large crowd has emerged on social media platforms with the claim that thousands gathered in Seattle to demand mail-in voting.
"AND THAT'S THE WAY IT IS," starts an Aug. 17 Facebook post that has been shared over 11,000 times. "Thousands of Seattle Democrats gather to demand mail-in voting because it's too dangerous to vote in-person."
Paste BN reached out to the user for comment.
The claim made the rounds on Instagram as well. Some users accused Democrats of being hypocrites for protesting the dangers of voting in person while gathering in large crowds.
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"So they can protest in very large crowds back to back but they cannot cast their ballots in person doing social distancing?" one user wrote on Twitter.
President Donald Trump also retweeted the miscaptioned photo. The original tweet now has over 73,000 likes and over 36,000 retweets.
Other users noted that Washington already has mail-in voting and that the photo is miscaptioned.
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Photo is from June Black Lives Matter protest
The photo circulating on social media captioned as a protest for mail-in voting is actually an image from a June 6 Black Lives Matter protest.
Paul Weatherman, the photographer of the image in the posts shared photos of the crowd on his Twitter page the day of the protest.
"@westseattleblog some aerial shots from the #west seattleprotest #Seattle," Weatherman tweeted on June 6.
On Aug. 18, Weatherman also pointed out that his photos were being taken out of context.
"When @realDonaldTrump retweet makes you famous for a drone photo you took months ago. Out of context!" Weatherman tweeted.
Thousands of people marched "from Admiral and Morgan Junction" while chanting "Black Lives Matter," reported West Seattle Blog on June 6, which featured Weatherman's photos.
State and local officials gathered to address concerns about mail delays in Seattle, however, the gathering took place on Aug. 17, The Seattle Times reported. Photos from the event show that the gathering did not include large crowds and officials can be seen social distancing and wearing masks.
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Our ruling: False
A large crowd did not gather in Seattle to demand mail-in voting. We rate this claim as FALSE. Captions from the original photographer and local media reports show that the photo is from a Black Lives Matter protest that took place in June.
Our fact-check sources:
- Paul Weatherman, June 6 tweet
- Paul Weatherman, Aug. 18 tweet
- West Seattle Blog, June 6, PHOTOS/VIDEO: West Seattle Junction fills with sea of protesters affirming ‘Black Lives Matter!’
- The Seattle Times, Aug. 17, ‘We will win this battle’: Washington Democrats rally at Seattle post office in support for U.S. Postal Service
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