False: A leaflet issued by the Irish Center for Diversity asks girls to stay indoors after 6 p.m.

By: Ankita Kulkarni
February 16 2023

Share Article:

Context

A bright pink poster directing girls in Ireland to stay indoors after 6 p.m. has gone viral on social media. The text on the leaflet reads, "Girls to stay indoors after 6 p.m. (until further notice). New arrivals to this area are not accustomed to Irish cultural norms at this transitionary time. Thank you for your compliance" The poster was signed: "Irish Center for Diversity n partnership with Ralltas nd hEireann.” The poster was shared by several verified accounts on Twitter and is also doing the rounds on Facebook. However, no such poster has been issued officially.

In Fact

Logically reached out to the Irish Center for Diversity to verify the authenticity of the leaflet. The center responded that they had not issued such a poster. "We are aware that a leaflet is being distributed in local areas and across social media. We are not associated with the leaflet in any way and the unauthorised use of our name has been reported to An Garda Síochána (Ireland's Police and Security Service)." The center posted this statement on its official Facebook and Twitter handles.

A couple of discrepancies on the leaflet made us doubt its authenticity. There are typing errors on the leaflet, which is atypical of official government orders. The Irish word for the government in Ireland, printed at the bottom of the leaflet, has also been misspelt. While the actual words are "Rialtas na hÉireann," the leaflet calls it "Ralltas nd hEireann". The leaflet also says "Irish Center for Diversity n partnership with Ralltas nd hEireann," instead of 'in partnership.'

We also analyzed other posters sent out by the Irish Center for Diversity on their social media handles. All of the official leaflets have the logo of the center on them, with a greater-than symbol (>) in the word "Diversity" in place of the letter "v." The now-viral leaflet does not contain any logo, and the font used on the leaflet is also different from what the center usually uses. 

The Verdict

The viral poster directing girls to remain indoors after 6 p.m. has been fabricated and falsely attributed to the Irish government and the Irish Center for Diversity. Therefore, we have marked the claim as false.