Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
Fact check: Were the images of No Kings rallys October 2025 fake?
Executive Summary
The images and widely circulated video footage of the Boston "No Kings" rallies on October 18, 2025 are confirmed authentic by multiple independent verifications; claims they were recycled from 2017 are false. BBC Verify, MSNBC, NPR and other outlets found contemporaneous photos, broadcaster confirmation, and reverse-image evidence tying the material to the October 2025 events [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. Why the “old footage” claim spread — and how it was checked
Social media posts alleged MSNBC and others aired footage from a 2017 event, but independent verification used reverse-image searches and broadcaster records to test that claim. BBC Verify examined the timeline of uploads and traced the first online appearances of the contested clips to the days immediately following the October 18, 2025 Boston event, finding no credible prior instances from 2017 [2]. An MSNBC spokesperson also directly confirmed the footage was shot on October 18, 2025, removing the anchor for the “old footage” narrative [5]. These verification steps—reverse-image searches, broadcaster confirmation, and date-stamped uploads—are standard tools used by fact-checkers to establish provenance.
2. What major outlets documented the rallies in real time
Multiple mainstream outlets published contemporaneous images and video from the No Kings protests across U.S. cities, providing a portfolio of independent visual records. NPR published a photo story with images from Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., dated October 18, 2025, and BBC Verify separately published a report confirming MSNBC’s Boston footage was from that weekend [4] [3]. The convergence of separate newsrooms’ material—different photographers, different framing, and distinct metadata—creates overlapping evidence that corroborates the events’ timing and scale, reducing the plausibility that the images were repurposed from a single prior year.
3. Where genuine and fake visuals diverged — an AI-generated UK clip
Not every viral item tied to the “No Kings” movement was authentic; a separate video claiming to show a UK No Kings protest was identified as AI-generated, bearing a watermark linked to an AI model (Veo/Google) and lacking independent verification ties to an actual event [6]. This demonstrates a mixed landscape: while core footage from U.S. rallies has independent corroboration, AI-generated phony clips circulated alongside legitimate material, complicating public perception. The juxtaposition of real and synthetic media in the same discourse explains some confusion and the rapid spread of debunked claims.
4. Who repeatedly amplified the false “old footage” narrative
Automated agents and social accounts played a role in amplifying the false claim that footage was from 2017; an artificial intelligence chatbot (Grok) on X erroneously stated the aerial footage was from 2017, prompting BBC Verify to investigate [2]. Social-media actors reposted the claim without verification, sometimes anchored to political talking points about protest magnitudes. The pattern shows how AI errors and partisan sharing dynamics interacted, with the initial technical inaccuracy becoming a viral claim that required traditional journalistic methods to correct.
5. How broadcasters responded and corrected records
MSNBC’s internal confirmation that the Boston footage was shot on October 18, 2025 is a key corrective step; a spokesperson’s statement to fact-checkers affirmed the footage’s provenance, which BBC and other outlets reported [5] [1]. Where networks have provided sourcing—camera operator IDs, timestamps, or on-the-ground reporter corroboration—those disclosures strengthened the verification. This transparency contrasts with the opacity of AI-generated clips, where provenance is absent or intentionally obfuscated, and underscores the value of primary-source confirmation from news organizations in settling provenance disputes.
6. What independent verification found when retracing uploads and metadata
Reverse-image searches and timeline tracing by fact-checkers showed the contested Boston clips first appeared online after the October 18 protests, and no verifiable 2017 originals resurfaced in archives tied to those frames [2]. BBC Verify’s checks into upload timestamps and the absence of earlier matches provided empirical grounds to reject the “2017” allegation, while NPR and other outlets’ contemporaneous photo essays added corroborative evidence of large crowds. These digital forensic steps—searching archives, checking timestamps, and comparing multiple independent records—are the backbone of modern provenance verification.
7. What remains uncertain and what to watch for next
While core U.S. rally footage is corroborated, the broader ecosystem of content about the No Kings movement includes both verified material and synthetic fabrications, meaning continued vigilance is necessary. Fact-checkers warn that AI tools can create convincing but false footage, and social amplification can blur distinctions between verified and fabricated media; observers should therefore prioritize primary-source confirmation, broadcaster statements, and reverse-image checks when evaluating viral clips [6] [2]. Policymakers, platforms, and the public will need to keep investing in verification methods as AI synthesis becomes more accessible.
8. Bottom line for the original question: were the images fake?
The evidence establishes that the Boston and other U.S. "No Kings" rally images and broadcaster footage from October 18, 2025 are authentic and not recycled from 2017, based on broadcaster confirmation, reverse-image searches, and independent newsroom documentation [1] [2] [4]. However, some unrelated clips claiming to show No Kings protests—notably a UK clip—were AI-generated, illustrating that while core coverage is real, not every viral item tied to the protests is genuine [6].