AP FACT CHECK: Viral photo doesn’t show ‘antifa’ beating cop

A widely spread photo that appears to show an anti-fascist activist beating a police officer is a doctored image.

The image showing a man wielding a club and wearing an “antifa” jacket while standing over a downed officer was widely shared after the deadly violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The image has been circulating for several months among those opposed to the antifa movement, which is comprised of far-left-leaning militant groups that resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

The image is actually a Getty Images photo taken during a 2009 protest of police in Athens, Greece. An antifa logo was apparently digitally added to the demonstrator’s jacket.

Anti-fascists were among hundreds of demonstrators who descended on Charlottesville to oppose the rally. A demonstrator was killed when a driver intentionally drove into a crowd.