Photo shows Amish who drove 2.5 hours with the “Freedom Convoy” to cook them food at their next stop.
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No, this isn’t a photo of Amish following and feeding the ‘Freedom Convoy’
If Your Time is short
- The photo shows Old Order Mennonites on their way to church — not Amish following and feeding the Freedom Convoy.
The "Freedom Convoy" truckers who drove to Ottawa to protest vaccine mandates in Canada were greeted by supporters along their routes, but an image being shared on social media wrongly claims that it shows Amish who went to great literal lengths to cook the protesters a meal.
"Great story about the Amish," reads the text alongside an image of about a dozen horse-drawn buggies on a road. "When the convoy came through my home town of Winnipeg Manitoba Canada..the Amish were there to greet the truckers with a full BBQ supper for 800 people..but when the Winnipeg police would not let the convoy stop at the desired location the Amish packed up their barbecues and food and hopped in their trucks and drove 2.5 hours with the convoy to cook them food at the next stop…all in -30 degree weather..true Patriots of freedom…just thought I would share that."
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
The photo was taken in Ontario by photographer Michelle Graham. It, among other similar images, appears on Graham’s website and was shared on Graham’s Instagram and Facebook accounts on Jan. 17.
But the caption on the Facebook post was edited to call out misinformation about the image now being shared by other people online.
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"These photos are of Old Order Mennonites headed to church," Graham wrote. "Anyone stealing these photos for other purposes would be best served to NOT do it. … My pics are being stolen to post false news on other sites for political purposes."
The original description of the photos says that "all the wagons were headed to the building just down the road."
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Graham also told the Associated Press that what was happening in the photos had "zero relation to any political protest or movement. Just going to church."
We looked for reports to corroborate the story that Amish followed and fed convoy participants but only found more cases of Graham’s photo being misused. One post said it showed "Mennonites from St-Jacobs … uniting to join the freedom convoy" while another said it showed "Amish people in St Jacobs Canada (joining) the Canadian truckers convoy!"
What we do know: that’s not what this photo shows, and we rate claims to the contrary False.
RELATED LINK: Looking at how many trucks are participating in the "Freedom Convoy" in Canada
Our Sources
Facebook post, Jan. 30, 2022
Michelle Graham’s Instagram post, Jan. 17, 2022
Michelle Graham’s Facebook post, Jan. 17, 2022
Focus Sport Fotos website, visited Jan. 31, 2022
Associated Press, Photo of Mennonites in buggies not related to trucker vaccine protest in Canada, Jan. 27, 2022
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No, this isn’t a photo of Amish following and feeding the ‘Freedom Convoy’
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