UK charity event video misused to justify US troop deployments
- Published on October 2, 2025 at 22:03
- 3 min read
- By AFP USA
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"Portland is the epitome of what a failed society looks like," a September 27 post on X reads, sharing a clip of what appears to be a transgender-friendly street festival.
The clip circulated in transphobic posts across X and other platforms including YouTube and Instagram, as well as in Spanish, as Portland residents and officials rallied to oppose Trump's deployment of the Oregon National Guard (archived here and here).
Since taking office in January, the president has ramped up military presence across the US in what he claims is a crackdown on crime and immigration.
In a rare meeting of top military officers on September 30, he suggested American cities should be used as "training grounds" for troops, saying the country faces a "war from within."
The administration has previously sent troops to Los Angeles and the District of Columbia over the objections of local leaders.
Targeting cities run by Trump's rival Democratic party, he has also threatened Chicago.
Oregon state and local authorities took legal action against Trump on September 28.
But stills from the clip shared on social media, obtained using the Verification Plugin, also known as InVID-WeVerify, revealed the footage is not from Oregon and was actually taken at a festival in Manchester, United Kingdom in June 2025.
LGBTQ festival
Keyframes from the video show posters placed over barriers that say: "Sparkle weekend merchandise" and "Sparkle weekend peace lounge."
Keyword searches yielded results for a nonprofit organization (archived here and here) called "Sparkle," described on its website as a "voluntary-led registered UK charity" based in Manchester.
"Our reach extends to people who identify as transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming, their partners, families, friends, and wider society which they are part of," the charity states on its website (archived here).
Through a reverse image search, AFP found the clip was first shared by an account with the username "therealsideofmanchester." It posted the footage on Instagram and TikTok on June 28 (archived here and here).
Contacted by AFP, the festival organisers confirmed on September 30 that the video was taken at one of their events.
Additional visual clues in the video such as a poster advertising the launch of "trans inclusive safer sex packs" matches initiatives highlighted by the 2025 festival organizers (archived here).
Sparkle held its events from June 27 to June 29 inside Manchester's Sackville Gardens (archived here and here).
Architectural landmarks seen in surrounding buildings on Google Maps, also match what is seen in the clip (archived here).
AFP has debunked other misinformation about deployment of the National Guard.
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