Democrats did not turn Chicago River red to show support for abortion

Context

A doctored photograph surfaced online as the U.S. Democratic Party kicked off the four-day Democratic National Convention (DNC) on August 19 in Chicago, where Vice President Kamala Harris accepted her party's nomination for president.

The image shared online shows the Chicago River bright red, with social media users falsely claiming that it was turned this color by the Democrats in a show of support for abortion rights.

One individual who shared the image on Facebook said: "DNC dyes river red to "celebrate" abortion. Really? Celebrate? No matter where you stand on the issue, this is twisted and sick."

A screenshot of an X post featuring the image gathered more than 220,000 views on TikTok. 

In fact

"The Chicago River has not been dyed red and there is no official plan to do so," a spokesperson for the DNC 2024 Joint Information Center told Logically Facts. "Any images being shared displaying a red river should not be considered credible," they added.

Comparison between altered screenshot (left) and screenshot from CBS News, March 16 report (right) Source: Facebook (left) / CBS News (right). Screenshots modified by Logically Facts. 

The image is doctored and originates from a CBS News video (timestamp 0:44) on St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Chicago. The video was published on March 16 and shows the river dyed green, not red.

The boats in the background also match a drone photograph captured by Reuters on the same day.

The earliest iteration Logically Facts found of the doctored image stems from an August 19 article published by the satire website The Babylon Bee. 

Logically Facts previously addressed various falsehoods that originated as satire on Babylon Bee, including the claim that U.S. Rep Ilhan Omar said that "getting rid of Jews" would end anti-Semitism.

The river is not dyed red in a Fox 10 Phoenix livestream at the time of writing, nor is there a record of a press release announcing the dyeing of the river on the Chicago Mayor's official website.

The Chicago Mayor's Office did not immediately respond to a Logically Facts request for comment.

The verdict 

False. The Democrats did not turn the Chicago River red in a show of support for abortion during the DNC in August. The image is doctored and originates from an article published by the satire website The Babylon Bee.