A screenshot purporting to show a report published by The Guardian about the UK-based climate activist group ‘Insulate Britain’ is digitally altered.
The headline reads: “Ambulance carrying Insulate Britain protestor – who was beaten up by angry motorists – is caught in traffic jam caused by another Insulate Britain protest.”
The Guardian masthead can be seen above an image of two individuals in high-vis vests being dragged away from a roadway.
Examples of the fabricated screenshot are viewable (here), (here), (here), (here), (here).
“Bound to happen eventually. Sorry no sympathy,” one individual added in the comments (here). Another added: “Protesters that block the roads and stop the emergency services getting through shouldn't have access to the emergency services” (here).
The screenshot is digitally altered, however, and no such headline was published by The Guardian, a spokesperson for the organization told Reuters.
Meanwhile, the image and subheading of the screenshot matches an article that was indeed published on The Guardian website on October 4 with a headline that reads: “ Drivers clash with Insulate Britain activists blocking three London roads” (here).
Insulate Britain want the UK government to fully fund insulation in 29 million houses by 2025 (archive.is/qAvmt) In recent weeks, the group have blocked major roads into London (here), (here), (here).
Reuters has previously addressed fabricated screenshots of news articles which are viewable (here), (here) and (here).
VERDICT
Altered. A screenshot purporting to show an article published by The Guardian about the ‘Insulate Britain’ protests is digitally altered.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here .
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.