Claim: A new video circulating on social media portrays President Joe Biden cautioning Nigerians against waving Russian flags at the nationwide protests.
Full Text
The 10-day nationwide hunger protests, which ended over the weekend, were marked by public unrest and violence in several Nigerian states. Somehow those pockets of violence share an uncanny similarity with the bloodshed of the EndSARS protests, a haunting memory in the Nigerian imagination.
In some parts of Nigeria, spanning Lagos and Kaduna, demonstrators were spotted carrying flags that resembled those of Russia, a controversial display that many have linked to pro-Russian sentiments among the protesters. No doubt confusing, the symbolic display of Russian flags at several protest locations has triggered misinformation across social media.
A prominent example is a TikTok video shared by the social media influencer Very Dark Man on August 5, 2024. The clip, which quickly gained traction, purportedly shows Biden saying:
“I am not comfortable seeing Nigerian protesters waving the Russian flag, I hope they know what they are doing. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, you have to take this matter seriously and settle your citizens because they are going too far and that might affect your regime, so be careful. God bless Nigeria and the USA.”
The video drew mixed reactions. While a few viewers considered it genuine, others suspected it might be manipulated.
When Prime Progress went to press, the footage had racked up 58,000 likes, 3,826 comments, 7,981 shares and 4,378 bookmarks.
Verification
The video appeared to be a deep fake upon closer examination. Similar to a previous clip featuring US presidential candidate Donald Trump, the graphic footage was manipulated to create a misleading narrative. Most of these doctored footages employ AI tools such as deepware.ai and Revoice to produce convincing, albeit fake, videos to spark controversy and glean Internet traffic.
The growing use of AI to spread misinformation presents a great challenge to genuine reporting.
No credible media outlet has reported any statements from Joe Biden regarding the protests or the display of Russian flags. The evidence strongly suggests that the video shared by Very Dark Man is a deliberate attempt to incite public unrest.
Conclusion
The claim suggesting that Joe Biden implored Nigerians to stop waving Russian flags at the recent Hunger protests is, therefore, misleading. As with previous clips shared by the same Internet influencer, the video circulating on social media is a deepfake designed to misinform social media users.
A video circulating on social media allegedly shows President Joe Biden cautioning Nigerians against waving Russian flags during recent nationwide protests. These protests, marked by unrest and violence, witnessed demonstrators carrying Russian-like flags, spreading confusion and misinformation on social media.
The video, shared by influencer Very Dark Man, gained significant traction but upon inspection, it appears to be a deep fake. It was manipulated using AI tools to create a false narrative, similar to previous examples involving other political figures. No credible media has reported Biden's involvement or statements related to these protests.
The growing use of AI-generated deep fakes poses a serious challenge to authentic reporting. The misleading video aims to incite public unrest and spread misinformation, making it clear that the claim about Biden’s comments is unfounded.
