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 COVID-19 vaccine mandates that affect truckers.
The claim appeared in an Instagram reel posted on February 1, 2022. The reel featured a video of several trucks sporting Brazilian flags and driving on a road. The caption of the post reads:
BRAZIL - Truckers now move in convoy, in solidarity with Canada.
It's becoming a worldwide movement now, to set the people free!
The people will decide. It's time!
#TruckersForFreedom2022 #TruckersConvoy2022 #COVID19 #brazil
Source Apex World News
This is how the post looked on Instagram on February 7, 2022:
(Source: Instagram screenshot taken on Mon Feb 7 17:56:29 2022 UTC)
The video -- a version of which has been misattributed before -- was actually taken during a rally held in May 2021 to demonstrate support for Bolsonaro. A fact check published by Brazilian media company Aos Fatos identified a live stream of the rally that showed the trucks driving on a road from a different angle. A fact check published by Reuters identified several tweets from May 2021 that contained footage of the same event. Some of those tweets can be found here and here.
The Brazilian truck video used in the Instagram post significantly predates the Canadian "Freedom Convoy." The convoy began at the end of January 2022 to protest COVID vaccine mandates for truckers traveling over the U.S.-Canada border.
Lead Stories has debunked other claims related to the Canadian "Freedom Convoy." Those fact checks can be found here.
