Emma Gonzalez, one of the prominent figures in the ongoing anti-gun movement in America, has been photoshopped to appear as if she is ripping up the US constitution.
A tweet shared by an account called 'Linda NRA Supporter' showed an image of the teenager, who is a survivor of the Parkland school shooting, shredding the document.
The tweet read:
Proudly shredding The Constitution. Horrifying to every educated American.
The original image came from a photoshoot that Gonzalez and other activists took part in for Teen Voguewhere she actually tore a piece of target paper.
A now-viral tweet from Don Moynihan, a Professor of government, showed the photoshopped version alongside the original image, highlighting the extent that some people are going to in order to discredit Gonzalez and other activists.
Justy a sample of what NRA supporters are doing to teenagers who survived a massacre (real picture on the right). https://t.co/czX7IHD8ur— Don Moynihan (@Don Moynihan) 1521936898
This would be seen as the latest attempt to shame Gonzalez and her peers for their stance. On Saturday, during the March for Our Lives rally, NRA TV shared several videos, explaining why they felt the march was wrong.
However, further research from Moynihan discovered that the original tweet had come from a fake account, quite possibly a bot, which has subsequently been banned by Twitter.
Account now suspended. Most likely a bot (the eight digits in the name is a tell apparently - thx @RiffChick). Orig… https://t.co/PvbMfl7a2f— Don Moynihan (@Don Moynihan) 1521939485
Further investigation from Moynihan leads him to a gif of Gonzalez appearing to tear up the constitution that was shared by a verified account.
Verified account posted a fake gif of Gonzalez tearing up the constitution. Plus the original shot. Its not a very… https://t.co/ZK3mX5o3oc— Don Moynihan (@Don Moynihan) 1521952503
After his original tweet went viral, Moynihan revealed that he had received several replies defending the fake image along with people claiming that the March For Our Lives rally was against the constitution.
Many responses to👇 tweet defended the doctored image, argued that #MarchForOurLives is an assault on the constituti… https://t.co/DzgsagIXCh— Don Moynihan (@Don Moynihan) 1521948641
On Saturday, Gonzalez delivered a powerful speech at the rally in Washington DC, where she mostly remained silent for six minutes twenty seconds, the time it took a gunman to kill 17 people with an assault rifle at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14.