FACT CHECK: No, This Image Does Not Show A Man Dressed As Hitler At Euro 2024
A photo shared on X allegedly shows a man dressed as Adolf Hitler at the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, also known as Euro 2024.
Yeah this is wild from this fan in Germany tonight? 😳 pic.twitter.com/wOMXAZNKNT
— Football Hub (@FootbalIhub) June 16, 2024
Verdict: False
The claim is inaccurate. The photo was taken in October 2022 and shows a man in Madison, Wisconsin, not Germany.
Fact Check:
Four German cities are hosting games for Euro 2024–Cologne, Dusseldorf, Gelsenkirchen and Dortmund, according to Forbes. The country is hosting 40% of the tournament this year, the outlet reported.
The X post purports a man in Germany was dressed as Hitler. The post shows a somewhat blurry image of a man in a Hitler costume in a city.
“This fan in Germany,” the caption claims, implying the photo was captured during Euro 2024.
The image is not recent. Instead, it was posted in October 2022 by an account called @StopAntisemitism. “We are nauseated to see a man has dressed up as Adolf Hitler to celebrate Halloween at the U. Wisconsin Madison,” its caption reads, in part. There are no credible news reports of a man wearing a Hitler costume to Euro 2024. (RELATED: No, Time Magazine Didn’t Compare Justin Trudeau To Hitler)
We are nauseated to see a man has dressed up as Adolf Hitler to celebrate Halloween at the U. Wisconsin Madison
With antisemitic incidents on the rise at both this particular school and across the country, this costume was meant to do one thing, and one thing only – spread hate pic.twitter.com/2paqLqOT4n
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) October 30, 2022
The Wisconsin man, who had cognitive disabilities, was fired from his job after the image of his costume went viral on social media, according to AP News. Wearing Nazi paraphernalia in public is illegal in Germany, according to the New York Post. If the picture was actually taken in Germany, it’s likely that the man would’ve faced legal action. German law prohibits the public display of Nazi symbolism and criminalizes Holocaust denial, according to Vox.
Check Your Fact has reached out to a Euro 2024 spokesperson for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received from either source.