Photos of alleged flyers for the Independence March with a QR code are circulating online. The code leads to an altered graphic showing the attacker from Kraków. Fact-checkers from Demagog have established that the photos were generated by artificial intelligence.
What the flyers show
The photos are meant to show flyers posted in various parts of Warsaw. The flyers feature a QR code that is supposed to invite people to take part in auctions to raise funds for the event organizers. However, once scanned, the code leads to an altered photo of the 24-year-old perpetrator of Saturday’s attack in Kraków. Next to him is a red and black flag associated with the OUN and UPA, along with the inscription “We can repeat this on 11.11”.
What Demagog found
A reader contacted Demagog and emailed two graphics of the flyers. The editors checked them with SynthID, a tool that detects AI watermarks. Both graphics contained the watermark. Fact-checkers stress that these photos are not proof that the flyers actually hang in the indicated locations. They also warn that such actions may be a false flag operation. The QR code is real and works, so someone may indeed have printed the flyers.
The X user who published the photos tagged the Polish Police profile, asking whether the person responsible for posting the flyers had been found. As of publication, the police had not responded to the matter.
Organizers’ reaction
Rafał Bucha, spokesperson for the “Independence March” Association, said the action was aimed not only at the march but at the whole Polish nation. This year’s march is scheduled for Wednesday, 11 November. We wrote about the organizers’ announcements before the march.
Another wave of disinformation after the attack
The flyers are another example of false content following the attack of 7 November, in which six people died and 15 were injured. On Monday, Ministry of Interior and Administration (MSWiA) spokesperson Karolina Gałecka announced that a photomontage showing Minister Marcin Kierwiński allegedly shaking hands with the perpetrator would be referred to the prosecutor’s office. The photo was generated by AI. On Tuesday, the ministry’s spokesperson said police had detained 9 people for publishing disturbing content online after the tragedy in Kraków. He announced firm action against posts glorifying the perpetrator. We also covered the situation after the attack in connection with the Silent March in Kraków.
