Was Tamara Lich, one of the leaders of the Ottawa trucker convoy, found dead in her jail cell? No, that's not true: Lich was alive as of February 23, 2022, according to the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, where she was being detained. The spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General confirmed to Lead Stories that Lich had not been found…
Does an aerial image of several vehicles and hundreds of encampments on a farm show an offshoot of the "Freedom Convoy" in Canberra, Australia? No, that's not true: The image is actually of a festival site in England and was taken in 2019. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on February 14, 2022. The post has the…
Did the Canadian government leave a dumpster full of rocks in downtown Ottawa to provoke violence during the "Freedom Convoy" protests? No, that's not true: The owner of the company that owns the dumpster confirmed with Lead Stories that the dumpster and its contents were only there for a client's construction needs. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived…
Did a judge order the Ottawa Police Service to return all the fuel they seized during demonstrations related to the Canadian "Freedom Convoy"? No, that's not true: According to Canadian officials, no such court order was found. The claim appeared on a webpage (archived here) published on February 9, 2022. The title of the article read: Judge orders Ottawa police…
Are members of the Ottawa Police Service exempt from mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations? No, that's not true: The Ottawa Police Service released a statement in 2021 announcing that all members of the service who did not have official exemptions must get fully vaccinated by January 31, 2022. The claim appeared in an Instagram post on February 9, 2022. The post includes…
Is a video of several trucks driving on a road and displaying Brazilian flags linked to the Canadian "Freedom Convoy" held in 2022? No, that's not true: The video was taken in May 2021 and shows a rally in support of Jair Bolsonaro, president of Brazil. Unlike the "Freedom Convoy," this video has nothing to do with a protest of…
Did a large group of Amish people in Manitoba, Canada prepare a barbecue supper for 800 people to support the "Freedom Convoy" and was this plan disrupted by Winnipeg police? That's partially true: But this photo does not show that event and the people were not Amish. The story that was added to this unrelated photo has some basis in…
Does this video show German farmers and truckers heading out to an anti-vaccine mandate demonstration? If you thought this had something to do with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, that's not true: This video shows a tractor parade protest in Schwerin, Germany, staged by farmers who object to a land ordinance that would regulate how much fertilizer they could use and…
Does a viral post about the Canadian "Freedom Convoy" held in 2022 also show an image of the trucks participating in the convoy? No, that's not true: The picture used in the post is not of the 2022 convoy, but of a convoy held in 2019 called "United We Roll" that protested the Canadian government's energy policies. The claim appeared…
Did the so-called "Freedom Convoy" of Canadian truckers who were primarily protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates make it into the Guinness World Records book for "longest convoy?" No, that's not true: A spokesperson for Guinness World Records told Lead Stories that the convoy was not an official attempt to break such a record. The claim appeared in an Instagram post on…
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