FACT CHECK: Does This Photo Show A July 12 Protest In Cuba?

An image shared on Facebook allegedly shows anti-government protesters in Cuba on July 12.

Verdict: False

The image actually shows a 2011 protest in Alexandria, Egypt.

Fact Check:

Amid widespread anti-government protests in Cuba, social media users have been sharing a photo that shows thousands of people gathered in a street. One such July 12 Facebook post claims in the caption that the picture shows Cubans protesting “today.”

However, a closer examination of the photo indicates it does not depict an anti-government demonstration that recently occurred in Cuba. Multiple protesters in the picture appear to be waving flags that resemble those of Egypt, Yemen or Syria rather than Cuba. (RELATED: Image Claims To Show Cuban Farmer Before Being Executed For Refusing To Work For The Castro Regime)

Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found the picture in a 2012 article from TheJournal.ie that discusses the 2011 Arab Spring uprising in Egypt. The caption for the photo in TheJournal.ie article states it was taken in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in February 2011 and credits it to the Associated Press and Tarek Fawzy.

What appears to be a higher resolution version of the photo can be found on AP Images. The caption for the picture on AP Images confirms it was taken in Egypt over a decade ago during an anti-government protest against former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, not during a demonstration in Cuba this month.

“Thousands of Egyptian anti-government protesters march in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, Feb. 11, 2011,” reads the caption. “Mubarak has refused to step down or leave the country, and instead handed his administrative powers to his vice president Omar Suleiman on Thursday, remaining president and ensuring control over the reform process, prompting mass protests by anti-Mubarak demonstrators.”

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