France Riots: Viral Photo Of Sign Welcoming Refugees Is Morphed, From Canada

By BOOM FACT Check Team

A photo showing a woman wearing an Amnesty International sign that reads 'My pussy is open for refugees', is digitally edited, as the original sign said 'My door is open for refugees.'

The morphed photo is being falsely linked to the recent unrest in France, which has been in the throes of widespread riots in the past week, after the fatal shooting of a 17-year old boy of Algerian descent, at a traffic signal.

However, BOOM found that the original photo is from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada at a rally in support of Syrian refugees, in 2015.

The morphed photo is being shared as part of a collage with another image. The second photo shows cars engulfed in flames as firefighters can be seen in the foreground.

The image is being shared by several right-wing users in India linking France's stance on refugees to the recent riots.

Click here to view an archive of the tweet.

Click here and here to view an archive of the tweet.

FACT CHECK

BOOM found that the viral image has been morphed and has no connection to France. The Amnesty International sign in the original photo said 'My door is open for refugees'.

The photo was taken in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada in October 2015 at a rally in support of Syrian refugees.

Since then, the image has been doctored and photoshopped and has been used in anti-immigration rhetoric across the world.

A variation of the morphed sign says 'My legs are open for refugees'.

Lasia Kretzel, the reporter who shot the image, called out far-right pro-Brexit leader Nigel Farage in July 2018 for sharing the morphed image.

Kretzel, who worked with Saskatoon based CKOM News when the photo was taken, also shared a screenshot of the article containing the real image. The screenshot shows the original sign saying, 'My door is open for refugees'.

Click here to view an archive.

The original article dated September 6, 2015 by CKOM News, no longer has the same image as the featured image in the story.

We also found an article by The Canadian Press that debunked the image after Kretzel called out Farage.

The second photo in the collage showing cars enveloped by flames as firefighters are seen working in the foreground is a Reuters photo that was taken in Nanterre, France last week. Click here to view.

© BOOM Live