Kneeling officer clip misrepresented as footage from 'No Kings' protest

"UNACCEPTABLE: LAPD Officers Take a Knee to Rioters During 'No Kings' Protest in Los Angeles," claims the caption of a June 15, 2025 video posted to X.

In the clip, a policeman in a helmet and face covering takes a knee as cheers are heard off-camera. A fellow officer then follows suit. Different versions of the footage, accompanied by the claim it was filmed during the weekend of June 15, spread on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, and was viewed tens of thousands of times.

Some of the posts reacted positively, while other users claimed it showed the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) was not taking a strong enough stance against the alleged "chaos" of the protests.

"Two LAPD officers were caught kneeling to the mob -- not to de-escalate, not to protect peace -- but to submit to an anti-American protest calling to abolish law, order, and the Constitution itself," a caption which repeatedly circulated with the clip says.

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Screenshot of an X post taken June 17, 2025

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Screenshot of a Facebook reel taken June 17, 2025

Anti-deportation protests broke out on June 6 in Los Angeles. Local officials said the demonstrations were largely peaceful and confined to a small downtown section of the city, but some protesters were seen throwing rocks and torching self-driving Waymo cars while law enforcement responded with tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds.

Trump pounced on the violent incidents to bypass state authority and deploy 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines, as he vowed to "liberate" the city from protesters he branded as "animals."

Following a week of continued turmoil, a series of previously planned "No Kings" protests decrying presidential overreach took place across the country, including in Los Angeles.

While police were present at the June 15 demonstrations, the video of the officers kneeling to a crowd was taken more than five years ago.

A reverse image search revealed the earliest available versions of the clip circulated around June 1, 2020 (archived here and here) with captions mentioning protests following the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man.

Media reported on the incident that same day, showing the scene from a different angle.

The 2020 protests focused on calls for reform of the criminal justice system's treatment of Black people and several other outlets reported on police departments performing the same kneeling gesture across the country at around the same time, attempting to show solidarity with demonstrators.

The kneeling symbol is strongly associated with advocacy against racism and police brutality after being thrust into the spotlight by former National Football League quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016.

Images from the 2020 protests are frequently misrepresented as legitimate footage from charged events. AFP has previously debunked misinformation around the Los Angeles protests using incorrectly labeled images and researchers said disinformation has also been amplified by foreign adversaries.

After a day of mostly calm protests on June 15, 2025, police unexpectedly began moving people away from the Los Angeles protest area, igniting confusion and anger from demonstrators. Police said a "small group of agitators" had thrown rocks, bottle and fireworks at officers, prompting the force to deploy tear gas and flash bangs to try to disperse the crowd.

Read more of AFP's reporting on misinformation in the United States here.