It is neither in Turkey nor is it old: the image of the civil guard in Ceuta rescuing a baby is real
The image of the civil guard rescuing a baby in Ceuta is real Skip to contentNewtralIt is neither in Turkey nor is it old: the image of the civil guard rescuing a baby in Ceuta is realNext
Different messages circulate that ensure that the image is of a Turkish policeman rescuing a Syrian immigrant. However, the photo is of a Civil Guard and was taken in Ceuta on May 17, as the Civil Guard has confirmed to Newtral.es
WhatsappFacebookTwitterEmailInsertDirect linkCopyCode to insertCopy this code and paste it on your web page to include this Newtral Fake.Copy code By Adrián Maqueda |5min reading By Adrián Maqueda |5min readingMessages are circulating on social networks claiming that the image of a Civil Guard diver rescuing a baby in the waters of Ceuta is false and that it is "another manipulation" by the media. According to these comments it is not a current photograph, but an image of a Turkish soldier rescuing a Syrian baby; or from an image published several years ago in Brazilian media.
These theories are based on the results of different reverse image search tools, which show the existence of this photo associated with old news. But the reverse search results do not mean that it is an old image. The image is true and current, as the Civil Guard has confirmed to Newtral.es and as can be seen through other photos. We explain it to you.
The photograph of a Civil Guard submariner rescuing a baby in Ceuta is real
The image of the diver rescuing the baby was initially shared on the official profile of the Civil Guard on Twitter. Along with two other images, scenes of the day were released in which "civil guards from the Special Group for Underwater Activities and the Reserve and Security Group of the Civil Guard save the lives of dozens of minors who arrived in Ceuta by sea along with their families”.
From Newtral.es we have contacted the Civil Guard press department, which has confirmed that the image of the agent rescuing the baby is real and was taken in Ceuta during the crisis. As we have been informed, the image was taken by "a person of Spanish nationality close to the Civil Guard" who has given them the photograph. But they have also explained to us that the person who took the snapshot "wants to remain anonymous."
From the press department of the Civil Guard they have also told us that the image was taken on the Tarajal beach and that the man who appears in the photograph is Juan Francisco, a member of the Special Underwater Activities Group (GEAS) of Ceuta.
The story of the Civil Guard agent: "I didn't know if he was alive or not"
The GEAS agent himself has commented on this event in an interview in Al Rojo Vivo. The civil guard explained that he saw the mother in the water and that "at first he thought she was carrying a backpack with some clothes on her back", but in a movement she made, she saw that it was the head of a baby. It was at that moment when, "without thinking about it", he went for her along with her partner Braulio de ella, the agent explained.
Once he rescued the baby, the agent has said that he tried to go as fast as possible to the coast. “The baby was cold, wet, he did not make any kind of gesture. Honestly, I didn't know if he was alive or not, "the GEAS member told the Al Rojo Vivo program.
The image of Europa Press that corroborates the scene
It can also be verified that this same scene is real through another photograph taken from another angle to illustrate the arrival of "migrants on the Tarajal beach, on May 17, 2021, in Ceuta." In this Europa Press image taken by journalist Antonio Sempere, if enlarged, you can see the diver on the far left, using a life preserver, rescuing the baby.
Why do current images appear associated with old news?
The fact that a current photo appears associated with old dates in the search result does not mean that it is an old image. Nor does it imply that it has been used at the time of publication of the news that returns the search result. What it means is that the image is collected at that URL.
In most cases this happens because the image belongs to another news item that appears related or recommended within the old news item. Generally in carousels that include the most recent news or the most read of the moment. That is what happens in the capture in which the news of the Brazilian portal G1, owned by Grupo Globo, is shown.
If we access the news published in 2019 by the Brazilian media, the photo of the diver is not the featured image of the old article, but rather the featured image of a related news item included in a video carousel. The web page in which the photograph of the diver is included does deal with this event and is current.
The video news, entitled "Migration crisis: a baby is rescued from the sea in Spain", shows different images and videos of Spanish agents rescuing minors from the waters of Ceuta.
The image is not of a Turkish soldier rescuing a Syrian baby
Other messages on social networks indicate that it is "a Turkish soldier rescuing a Syrian baby", or an image in Greek waters. In this case, they are usually accounts of people apparently of Moroccan nationality trying to misinform by responding to the Civil Guard's tweet or mentioning other messages in which the news is shared with the image of the submariner.
These messages are usually accompanied by the same screenshot of the reverse search carried out through the Russian search engine Yandex. This screenshot indicates different news in which the image of the diver supposedly appears.
However, when performing the same reverse search with the same search engine, we have been able to find the same news items and they neither include the image of the diver nor the featured image -the one that appears as a related image in the search- is similar.
The first link shown is from the Turkish outlet Bursa Hakimiyet. The content to which it links speaks of a woman who fell into the sea and was about to drown in Istanbul, but it is not specified that she is Syrian. The news explains that a woman jumped into the water with a float and rescued her. No baby is mentioned in the text.
In addition, the featured image of the news does not bear any resemblance to that of the lifeguard, as can be seen in the following screenshot.
It is possible that on some occasions the results returned by the reverse image search tools do not show the image that we have entered. In these cases, some search engines will offer you image results that the software considers similar. This is what happens with this search in Yandex.
Sources
Civil Guard Press Department
Interview with the Civil Guard agent in Al Rojo Vivo
Photography by Europa Press
News from 'O Globo'
News from 'Bursa Hakimiyet'
This is our work methodology. After the verification process, and based on the data, we award one of these categories:
MisleadingThe content contains correct data, but ignores very important elements or is mixed with incorrect data giving a different, imprecise or false impressionFalseThe content is falseWhatsappFacebookTwitterEmailInsertDirect linkCopyCode to embedCopy this code and paste it on your web page to include this Newtral Fake.Copy codeWe verify with contrasted data and facts what politicians say and dismantle hoaxes or viral fakes that circulate.
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