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“Death to America” chant added to DNC video

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The claim: Video shows “Death to America” chant at the DNC

An Instagram video from August 21 (direct link, archive link) shows a large crowd cheering Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention. Chants such as “Death to America” ​​can be heard in the video.

“At the Democratic Party Convention, people are chanting ‘Death to America,'” reads the screen.

The post received more than 900 likes within two days. Other versions of the claim were shared on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).

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Our rating: Changed

The chant was digitally inserted into footage of the convention. The audio comes from a video of a 2020 protest rally against police brutality.

Anti-American chant inserted into DNC video

Former First Lady Michelle Obama expressed her support for Vice President Kamala Harris before a raucous crowd at the DNC on August 20. Videos showing the crowd chanting “Death to America,” however, are not authentic.

The original video of Obama was shared on X by Grant Stern, editor-in-chief of the liberal group Occupy Democrats. Neither Stern's video nor footage of the speech captured by news agencies shows any such chanting from the audience.

Fact check: Posts about the California passport vote during the DNC call lack context

The chants come from a video shared on social media in August 2020 showing a large group of people marching down a street at night, some of them masked. Among those who shared the footage at the time were former Donald Trump spokeswoman Liz Harrington and the conservative news outlet Daily Caller, both of which reported that the video was taken at a protest rally in Oakland, California.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the video was taken days after protesters were arrested in Oakland following the August 2020 police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Lead Stories and AFP have also refuted this claim.

Our fact-checking sources:

  • Grant Stern, August 20, X-Post
  • Democratic National Convention (YouTube), August 22, First Lady Michelle Obama speaks at the 2024 Democratic National Convention
  • PBS NewsHour (YouTube), August 20, WATCH: Michelle Obama to speak at the 2024 Democratic National Convention | 2024 DNC Night 2
  • GoRevolt, August 30, 2020, X-Post
  • Liz Harrington, September 3, 2020, X-Post
  • Daily Caller, August 31, X-Post
  • San Francisco Chronicle, August 29, 2020, Police fire smoke bombs and a stun grenade at a noisy march in Oakland, arresting more than 12 protesters

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