CLAIM: A video shows a group of people who identify as “trans species” — as animals rather than people — demonstrating in Berlin.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The people in the clip were attendees of a fetish festival that was held in Berlin at the beginning of September. They were participating in a gathering related to “puppy play,” a type of roleplaying in which at least one of those involved behaves like a dog.
THE FACTS: Posts circulating on social media are misrepresenting a video from Folsom Europe, a multi-day festival that celebrates fetish subcultures, such as leather and BDSM, and is similar to the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco.
“Hundreds of people, who identify as DOGS, are currently protesting on the streets of Germany in support of ‘trans species rights,’” reads text over the video in one Instagram post. “Welcome to 2023.” As of Tuesday, the post had received more than 28,000 likes.
In the video, dozens of people wearing dog masks and bare chests howl as they pose for photographers. A subway station located at Potsdamer Platz, a public square in Berlin, can be seen in the background.
But the video shows attendees at an event for people who enjoy “puppy play” roleplaying, not a protest for people who actually identify as dogs.
A photo posted Sept. 8 on the official Facebook page of Folsom Europe, which took place from Sept. 6 to 10, shows the same group posing for photographers in front of the subway station at Potsdamer Platz. The event is organized annually in Berlin.
In addition to being at the same location, the people in the video match those in the photo. Someone is waving a pole flying three flags toward the right-hand side of the frame in both.
The Facebook post describes the event as a “puppy walk” and says about 400 people attended.
Folsom Europe did not respond to a request for comment.
False claims about people who identify as animals have previously spread online in an effort to denigrate the transgender community.
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Associated Press writer Melissa Goldin in New York contributed to this report.
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This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.
https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-t ... 1841239565