Image of BNP leaders carrying weapons was AI-edited
A photograph was circulated on Facebook with claims that leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) took up positions while brandishing weapons to prevent garment workers from protesting. However, Dismislab’s verification found that the image had been digitally altered using artificial intelligence (AI).
The photograph was posted on November 3 by a Facebook profile named Joynal Gilani. The accompanying caption read, “BNP cadres are on the streets with weapons to stop garment workers.” The image shows several individuals standing with weapons in their hands, with police officers visible behind them. As of the publication of this report, the post had received 1,800 views and at least 1,200 shares.
A reverse image search led to a report published by the news outlet Amader Shomoy on November 2. The report was headlined, “BNP Leaders and Activists Stage a Show of Force with Sticks Amid Workers’ Protests in Mirpur.”
The photograph published in the report bears visual similarities to the image circulated on Facebook. However, the original photograph shows the individuals holding sticks rather than weapons. No police officers are visible behind them. In contrast, the image circulated on Facebook shows police officers standing behind the individuals, who appear to be carrying weapons.
The same photograph was also published in reports by Ajker Patrika and Barta Bazar. On November 2, the Facebook page of news outlet NPB News published a video titled “Mirpur Tense as BNP Leaders and Activists Stand with Sticks Alongside Police.” The individuals shown in the circulated image can be seen at the beginning of the video.
The same individuals also appear in another video report published on November 2 on the YouTube channel of Daily Ittefaq. The video was titled “BNP Leaders and Activists Take Positions in Mirpur with Sticks to Prevent Sabotage.” In both videos, some of the individuals can be seen holding sticks, but no weapons are visible.
The image was also examined using OpenAI’s image analysis tool. The tool’s analysis indicated that the image had been generated using OpenAI.
Therefore, the image circulated with the claim that BNP leaders and activists had taken up positions with weapons to prevent garment workers from protesting is misleading. The original photograph was digitally altered to add weapons to the individuals’ hands. Police officers were also added to the image.
The Joynal Gilani profile has previously shared misleading information related to protests by garment workers. On November 2, the profile published a post claiming that a 10-year-old student named Nuruzzaman Sami had been killed by police gunfire in Gazipur. However, a fact-check report by Prothom Alo found that no shooting had taken place and that the child had been injured by a brick.
