As the U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched immigration raids and
Many users expressed excitement that the Black Panthers appeared to be resurfacing, but this conclusion was misinformed. Some
Other images purportedly showing Black Panthers making public appearances in 2026 were created or doctored using artificial intelligence. Others were outdated or otherwise misleadingly labeled.
Dozens of Snopes readers sought evidence of Black Panthers protesting in 2026 by searching our website or emailing. Below, we fact-check six commonly shared images — three standalone images and one set of three — purportedly showing Black Panthers at protests in early 2026 and break down the facts regarding the
AI-doctored image from 2020 of group in Louisiana
One popular image of a group of armed men did not authentically depict members of the Black Panther Party protesting in 2026.
The earliest version of the image we could find appeared on Facebook account "El abuelo," a page that featured dozens of AI-generated images. The caption of the post
The Black Panthers have taken to the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota, to protest the Trump administration's immigration policies and to protect the immigrant community. This is a historic African-American-led self-defense group that has fought injustices in America for decades!
We reached out to the account seeking comment regarding whether it created the doctored image and will update this story if we receive a response.
AI-detection sites such as Hive and NoteGPT had mixed results for the image, ranging from a 0.02% to a 100% probability of AI generation. Google Gemini determined the image was likely AI-generated, though did not detect a SynthID watermark (a tool that scans for embedded watermarks in images produced using Google's AI software). Such tools are not always accurate.
In reality, t
Some users posted the unedited image as well, incorrectly claiming it depicted Black Panthers in Minnesota in 2026.
Another image depicting a group of people wearing black berets (a signature of the Black Panthers) and what appeared to be a Black Panther emblem spread on multiple platforms in January 2026. It's unclear who took the original photo, but it first appeared online in June 2020 (archived, archived). At the time, news media outlets such as the Daily Mail ran headlines (archived) claiming the image showed "armed Black Panthers."
(Instagram user @words_of_women)
AI-detection tool Hive determined the image was likely not AI-generated, and a scan for Google's SynthID found no evidence of AI generation using Google AI tools. The people pictured were also not members of the Black Panthers; they were members of the Black Revolutionaries (archived), a group whose aim is to arm and educate the Black community on gun laws, according to the group's Instagram bio.
We
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (archived) and Vice (archived) reported that the people pictured were a group of actors and models participating in an orchestrated stunt after an X user made the assertion (archived). However, the reported connections those pictured had with the entertainment industry may have been purely coincidental. Oni told Snopes that although she worked as a model in the past, her modeling work had nothing to do with the 2020 images.
"What I'm doing there is not performative, it's not to provoke, it's not to cause chaos," she said by phone. "We were putting our lives on the line because I know as a Black woman, if I'm seen with a gun, I'm immediately a walking target for people to just shoot me on sight. I had to tell my family I may not be coming home. That's how serious it was, and I don't think anyone would do that for likes or for clout."
According to Oni, the group reached out to the original Black Panthers, who said they "did not want to align" with the group.
The Black Revolutionaries' outfits included an emblem sporting a black panther, but it was not an official emblem of the Black Panther Party. The group used an insignia from the a World War II division of the U.S. Army until it swapped the insignia for an original design.
One post (archived) also claimed the group was pictured in Philadelphia in 2026. Publicly available Getty Images of Atlanta City Hall — seen in the background of the circulated image — provide further evidence the image was taken in Georgia, not Minnesota or Pennsylvania.
Three of the images that circulated during the Minnesota DHS raids depict an offshoot group of the original Black Panthers making a public appearance in January 2026 in Philadelphia — not Minnesota.
"Based on reports from January 2026, a group identifying as the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense has re-emerged and is participating in protests and community support efforts in response to increased federal immigration enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota," one post featuring the images read.
(Facebook user @Olivia Laurentina Padilla)
The images were authentic; photographers Yong Kim and Allie Ippolito took them for The Philadelphia Inquirer, which published an article about the Philadelphia protest on Jan. 10. Hive and NoteGPT found the images unlikely to be AI-generated, and Google Gemini detected no SynthID watermark.
Aside from the group's appearance not taking place in Minnesota, the people in the photos are also not official members of the original Black Panther Party. The group — led by organizer and social media personality
These various offshoots of the original Black Panther Party emerged in the decades following the original group's disbanding — one of the most prolific being the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, founded in Texas in 1989. The group's national chair, Krystal Muhammad, wrote in a statement to Snopes (linking to Birdsong's video announcing his group's severance from the Black Panther name):
Any media outlet and individuals that are falsely and incorrectly identifying any individuals or organizations as New Black Panther Party must cease and desist from false representation. We are often imitated but never duplicated. Our history and actions are well documented. We believe this latest cosplayer is part of another counterintelligence program intended to confuse the People.
The New Black Panther Party is designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and members of the original Black Panther Party have also reportedly disavowed the group for years. An unverified open letter reportedly from the Huey P. Newton Foundation stated the New Black Panther Party had "no legitimate claim on the Party's name."
AI-generated image claimed group was 'expanding'
One image widely shared in January 2026 purportedly depicted an organized faction of the Black Panthers in tactical gear. One Facebook post (archived) more broadly claimed the Black Panther Party was "expanding." The caption read: "BREAKING: Black Panther Party Expanding. Says No One 'Would Have Gotten Harmed' If They Were Present In Minneapolis."
The image also spread to other Facebook accounts (archived) and X (archived).
The image was
The earliest version appeared on Facebook account @Likeformore, which has shared dozens of similarly AI-generated images. We wrote to the account seeking confirmation that it created the image and will update this story if we receive a response.
As seen below, a minigun held by one of the people in the image appeared to be floating, a head appeared out of proportion with legs below and disembodied legs without a head appeared to the bottom right of the image.
(Facebook user @Likeformore)