Satire: Photo of Restaurant Requiring Proof of Support for Ukraine
The Claim
A photo depicts an American restaurant requiring proof of support for Ukraine to enter the restaurant and eat.
News posted on
Emerging story
News websites and social media users have recently shared a photo of a banner that says, "Proof of Ukraine Support Required" in front of a restaurant. Users allege the photo shows an American restaurant that wants its customers to prove their support for Ukraine before entering and eating there.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar found that the circulating claim is satire. The Babylon Bee, a satirical website, was the first to report that American restaurants require proof of support for Ukraine.
The Babylon Bee article includes the photo that has been circulating on social media, purporting to show an American restaurant requiring proof of support for Ukraine.
Description: A satirical website has published the story.
Using Google Image Reverse Search, our team discovered that the photo in the claim has been digitally altered.
The original photo shows a restaurant in Vancouver, Canada, in September 2021. It was uploaded to Shutterstock image store with a caption reading: “People were waiting in line to enter a cafe and need proof of vaccination required to enter during COVID-19 pandemic, everyone needs BC VACCINE CARD and ID.”
The banner in front of the restaurant, in the original photo, does not show “Proof of Ukraine Support Required,” but “Proof of vaccination required.”
Description: The original image is unrelated to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
News websites have also attached the original photo to their articles about COVID-19 cases in Vancouver.
