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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Tom Brooks-Pollock

Right-wingers confuse anti-Isis demo for pro-Isis rally

Right-wing internet users appear to have confused a picture of an anti-Isis protest held by American Muslims, for a pro-Isis rally.

A picture of the protest, in Dearborn, Michigan, was shared more than 3,700 times on Facebook and retweeted more than 1,300 times on Twitter.

Facebook user Joseph DAlessio posted the murky picture, which he said showed "Isis flags and Isis supporters", adding that the protest had not been reported because of "politically [sic] correctness".

Jim Eastridge also posted it on Twitter:

But, thanks to some internet sleuthing by journalists from US sites New York Magazine  and Snopes, the picture was linked to an anti-Isis rally, held in the town on 5 December.

The protest, held in an area with one of the biggest concentrations of Arab-Americans in the US, was held to express disgust at the Isis-inspired San Bernardino shootings, which killed 14 people in California days beforehand.

Dearborn's public information and police departments confirmed to NY Mag's Jesse Singal that no pro-Isis demonstrations had taken place in the town in December.

However, local TV station WXYZ did report on that hundreds of Dearlove residents staged an anti-Isis protest "

Twitter user Jim Eastridge, whose tweet on 7 December was retweeted so many times, did at least post a link to the NY Mag article.

It had received just a single retweet at the time of writing.

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