Video shows Trump supporters storming US Capitol, not rally against Middle East war
- Published on April 1, 2026 at 11:13
- 2 min read
- By AFP Indonesia
There were massive rallies across the United States in late March against President Donald Trump, but video that posts claim shows anti-war protesters raiding the White House predates the current conflict in the Middle East by five years. The footage in fact shows Trump supporters during the violent January 6 riot at the US Capitol in 2021.
"People raid Donald Trump's residence to voice their opposition to the war," reads Indonesian-language text overlaid on a TikTok video shared on March 30, 2026.
The video appears to show people waving US flags and banners chaotically pushing through lines of security personnel towards a white building.
The footage also circulated in similar TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram posts after the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28.
Iran has retaliated with attacks on Israel and Gulf nations it accuses of serving as a launchpad for US strikes.
Protesters expressing their opposition to the war -- as well as their fury over what they see as Trump's authoritarian style of governing and his hardline immigration policies -- rallied across the United States on March 28 (archived link).
Organisers of the "No Kings" protests said "at least 8 million people gathered today at more than 3,300 events across all 50 states". US authorities provided no national crowd estimate.
But the circulating video does not show anti-war protesters raiding the White House as posts claim.
A reverse image search followed by keyword searches on Google found the same footage had been shared by Yahoo News Australia on January 12, 2021, with the title: "Protester throws fire extinguisher at police officer" (archived link).
The video, credited to "Tyler Baggins via Storyful", was also used by ABC News and The Washington Post (archived here and here).
It was used alongside reports about Trump supporters storming the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 (archived link). A closer look at the falsely shared video shows people holding up "Trump 2020" flags.
After Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election, then-president Trump called for Congress and his vice president to block the certification, falsely claiming widespread fraud had led to his loss.
Following a rally outside the White House, several thousand Trump supporters breached the Capitol grounds, overwhelming police lines and wounding more than 140 officers, smashing windows and doors, ransacking offices and forcing lawmakers into hiding as the electoral count was halted for hours (archived link).
The falsely shared footage also resembles AFP photos taken on January 6, 2021.
One photo taken by Roberto Schmidt appears to show the same location at the US Capitol, in front of scaffolding erected for Biden's upcoming inauguration. The AFP photo also shows police wearing similar equipment as shown in the falsely shared video, as well as rioters holding up the same flags and banners.
AFP has debunked a slew of misinformation stemming from the war in the Middle East.
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