This photo has been digitally altered to include the colours of the gay pride flag
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on April 12, 2021 at 06:15
- 1 min read
- By AFP Australia
Copyright © AFP 2017-2025. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
“Top ten romantic date ideas in liberal hell world,” reads a Facebook post that shared the photo on April 8, 2021.
“What if we kissed... at the pride themed anti-homeless spike covered underpass,” the photo’s text overlay states.
The same photo was also shared here, here and here on Facebook; and in this post on a Twitter account that often shares political satire.
The photo, however, has been digitally altered.
A Google reverse image search found the original photo appeared in this report published on February 18, 2015 by UK newspaper The Guardian.
“Concrete spikes under a road bridge in Guangzhou city, Guangdong, China,” the photo showing grey colour road fixtures is captioned.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the altered photo (L) and the photo published by The Guardian (R):
The US photography website Shutterstock Editorial published the same photo here on July 2, 2012.
“Rows of concrete spikes have been laid beneath a road bridge in Guangzhou city to allegedly discourage homeless people from sleeping there,” the photo’s caption reads.
A report by China Daily, a Chinese state media outlet, included the same photo in a report about the installation of the road fixtures on July 6, 2012.
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us