Edited image shared to claim RTE News called protesting farmers ‘far-right’

By: Ishita Goel
February 13 2024

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Social media posts claim that the image shows an article by RTE News referring to protesting farmers as far right. (Source: Facebook/X/Modified by Logically Facts)

What is the claim?
Protests by farmers across Europe continue over rising costs, higher debt, competition from cheaper markets and falling sale prices. A purported screenshot of a report by RTE News headlined, "Irish Far-right Farmers to protest in solidarity with European farmers," is viral on social media. The screenshot shows that the purported article was published on January 31, 2024. A Facebook user shared the image and wrote, "'Far right' simply means not communist at this point." Another mocked the headline, writing, "Everything is far right when it's against the agenda" (archives here and here). 

Screenshots of the viral posts on social media. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, this image has been edited to claim that RTE News referred to the farmers protesting as "far right."

What are the facts?
There is no record of an article with this headling published on the RTE News website. We checked their archives and social media accounts, which returned no results.

Taking a cue from the date and time indicated in the viral screenshot — "Updated/Wednesday, January 31, 2024, 22:16" — we found that RTE published a report on that date with a similar headline that read "IFA members to protest in solidarity with European farmers." The hero image of the report, showing a line of tractors, also matches what is visible in the viral image. 

Screenshots of the RTE News. (Source: Screenshot/Website)

This shows that the viral image has been edited, replacing the words "IFA members" from the headline with "Irish Far-right farmers." 

Comparison of viral images and RTE News. (Source: X/Screenshot/Website/Modified by Logically Facts)

On January 31, 2024, the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) announced the organization would hold rallies in solidarity with their European counterparts. IFA President Francie Gorman said while announcing their step, "Irish farmers are pro-EU, but there is mounting frustration about the impact of EU policy on European farmers and its implementation here in Ireland. The general feeling amongst farmers across the EU is that 'enough is enough'."

The actual RTE News report was based on this announcement and reported that IFA would hold demonstrations in every county on February 1 in solidarity with farmers protesting across Europe. 

Logically Facts contacted RTE News for a statement and was told, "That article is fake."

RTE News reported farmers in Europe have been protesting over regulations and conditions.

The verdict
The viral screenshot masquerading as that of a genuine RTE News report has been edited. The original report's headline did not call Irish farmers "far-right." The viral image is fake.