False: A member of the audience showed Joe Biden the middle finger during his speech in Poland.

By: Rahul Adhikari
February 28 2023

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Context

U.S. President Joe Biden visited Poland on February 21, 2023, after a surprise visit to Ukraine, demonstrating U.S. support to Kyiv ahead of the one-year anniversary of the war with Russia. In Poland, on his second trip to the country in less than a year, Biden met with President Andrzej Duda and leaders of the nine countries that comprise NATO's eastern flank. During his speech in Warsaw, the U.S. President backed Ukraine in the war effort and applauded Poland for hosting more than 1.5 million refugees from the war.

Soon after, an image began circulating on social media claiming that Biden was shown the middle finger in Poland. The viral photo, showing Biden waving at a crowd while a man gestures at him rudely, has been shared with the caption, "Meanwhile in Warszawa with Joe Biden, Poland."

In Fact

A reverse image search revealed that the image is morphed, and Biden was not shown the middle finger in Poland.

The original photo was shared from The White House's Twitter account on February 22. The photo, with Biden and the rest of the audience in the same position, shows that the same man was giving two thumbs-ups to Biden. Biden also shared the same photo along with three others as part of his tweet thanking President Duda and the people of Poland for their generosity to refugees from Ukraine.

The same photo was also published on the website of the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in China as part of the transcript of Biden's speech. According to the website, the photograph was taken at The Royal Castle in Poland's Warsaw on February 21. 

We found a similar image on the photo-hosting website Getty Images, where Biden can be seen looking in a different direction. In this photo as well, the man in the audience can be seen giving the U.S. president a thumbs-up. The caption reads, "The U.S. President, Joe Biden exits the stage after delivering a speech at the Royal Castle Arcades on February 21, 2023, in Warsaw, Poland. The U.S. President is in Warsaw for his second visit to the country in less than a year. It comes after his surprise trip to Kyiv on February 20 to reinforce U.S. support for Ukraine almost a year after Russia's large-scale invasion." The photo was credited to Omar Marques of Getty Images.

The Verdict

An image of a man giving thumbs-ups to Biden has been digitally altered and shared to falsely claim that the U.S. Biden was shown the middle finger in Poland. Therefore, we have marked this as false.