Protesters Falsely Accuse Police of Burning Camp with Photos from HBO Movie

A fake news article that began circulating on Facebook Thursday morning falsely accused law enforcement personnel of setting fire to tents at one of the anti-pipeline protest camps in North Dakota.

The story, which led with the headline,”Police Raid Standing Rock Camp, Dismantle Tipis and Are Burning What Remains,” cited a screenshot from the HBO film Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (a historical drama about Native Americans) as evidence.

What really happened? Law enforcement arrested 76 protesters Wednesday afternoon after they attempted to create a new campsite on private property. According to the Morton County Sheriff’s Department, officers entered the camp after protesters failed to respond to repeated warnings to vacate the area.

The Sheriff’s Office further said that helped members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reclaim their belongings after the illegal campers had been arrested. “Representatives from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe coordinated with law enforcement and came to collect the tepee hides from the camp site to return them to the reservation,” the statement read.

Respected fact checking web site Snopes.com also found this claim and image to be false.