On January 29-30, a video (1,2) allegedly depicting the conflict between the Texas state authorities and the US central federal government was disseminated on social media. According to the “Georgia First” portal, the video shows military equipment being brought into combat readiness and their movement in the state of Texas.
A video with a similar description has gone viral on various social networks and online platforms (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
In connection with the same topic, on January 29, lawyer Irakli Zakareishvili published another post, stating that the Texas Guard took down the US flag and raised the Texas state flag at the capitol of Austin, the capital of the state. The post is accompanied by a photo of people in military uniforms holding a Texas flag. Identical information along with the same photo was also distributed on the portal of the online publication intermedia.ge.
The information contains visual manipulations and is being disseminated with a false description. In fact, the video was not shot in the US and has nothing to do with the events taking place in Texas. The video has been searched for on social media since last year, and by looking at license plates and road signs, it is confirmed that it was filmed in Chile. As for the photo in which people in military uniforms are holding the Texas flag, it was not taken in 2024 in the US, but in 2016 in Iraq.
Does the video show the movement of military equipment near the state of Texas?
The video was published on the social network TikTok on November 7, 2023. In one frame of the 45-second video, we see the car’s license plate – SB TJ 70, which does not match the structure of license plates of Texas or any of the surrounding states. In addition, on the license plate, we see the inscription – CHILE, which matches all the characteristics of the license plates of cars registered for personal use in Chile since 2007.
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| Source: http://www.worldlicenseplates.com/world/SA_CHIL.html | |
Despite the fact that both the license plate and road sign inscriptions are hard to make out in the fake video, the version posted on TikTok in November shows a road sign with two toponyms – Est. O’Higgins and Calama. Both geographical spots are located in the territory of Chile.
Newsweek tried to determine the exact location of the place where the video was shot. Given the visuals of the factory off the highway, the surrounding fences, and the location of the mountain range on the horizon, fact-checkers believe the video was shot near a lithium carbonate factory east of the city of Antofagasta, Chile.
Did the Texas Army raise the Texas flag on the Capitol in Austin?
The photo Zakareishvili uses to illustrate the lowering of the US flag and the raising of the Texas flag at the Texas Capitol was first circulated in August 2017, according to the photo search tool TinEye.
“Myth Detector” also traced the version of the photo published in 2016. On May 31, 2016, the Airborne Angel Cadets of Texas released an article titled “US Soldiers proudly pose with Texas flag in Iraq.” The material mentions that American soldiers in Iraq received hygiene items, food products, and other daily household items. After receiving the donations, several Texas soldiers posed for a photo holding a Texas flag as a sign of gratitude. It should be noted that this flag was also a part of the donations received. The mission of the Airborne Angel Cadets of Texas is to provide primary care to American soldiers overseas.
What is happening in Texas?
The government of the state of Texas wants to tighten the control of the border with Mexico, which intensifies the conflict between the government of the state and the central federal government of the US. Texas’ border with Mexico is an international border under federal jurisdiction, but Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and his allies argue they have the right to control the border themselves because the Biden administration has not taken effective steps to reduce the record number of illegal immigrants.
Abbott erected additional barricades along several kilometers of the border, deployed the National Guard to protect the border, and restricted border control by the federal Border Patrol and Immigration Services. The situation escalated last week after the US Supreme Court ruled that the razor wire installed by Abbott was illegal and authorized the Federal Border Police to dismantle the barricades.
About the Source
Lawyer Irakli Zakareishvili often publishes posts with anti-Western, anti-Ukrainian, and anti-opposition content. Since the emergence of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, 2023, the user has been spreading disinformation regularly. False information spread by Zakareishvili has been debunked by “Myth Detector” many times in the past.
Georgia First NEWS is the Facebook page of the portal “Georgia First,” which was founded by the former member of the “Georgian Dream” party, Vato Shakarishvili. The portal often publishes anti-Western content aimed at criticizing EU institutions, NATO, and the US presidential administration. The portal has disseminated false and manipulative claims in the past as well.
Archive link (1, 2, 3, 4).
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