Did MSNBC air video from 2017 as from Boston ‘No Kings’ protest? Truth behind Grok's ‘fact check’

MSNBC faced backlash for airing a Boston protest video critics said was from 2017. But it has been confirmed that the footage was from Saturday’s rally.

US broadcasting giant MSNBC has come under fire over a video it aired about the turnout at the 'No Kings' protest in Boston, Massachusetts, on Saturday. The video shows a massive crowd at Boston Common - a city park on Tremont Street- on Saturday.

Anti-ICE. protesters clash with federal agents at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on October 18, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. (Representational)(Getty Images via AFP)

However, Grok, the AI chatbot of the Elon Musk-owned social media platform X, carried out a fact-check on the video, saying that it is from a 2017 rally in Boston and not from Saturday. The fact-check, along with the video, was widely shared on social media, particularly by right-wing influencers.

However, Grok's claim was fact-checked by BBC Verify journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh who confirmed that the video aired by MSNBC is actually from Saturday's protest in Boston.

“The video was filmed during yesterday's protest in Boston,” Sardarizadeh wrote. "The exact same aerial view of the crowd can be seen in multiple other videos of the protest in Boston posted by local news outlets yesterday.

"Reverse searching multiple frames from the clip brings no results earlier than yesterday, which means the clip isn't old and first appeared online yesterday."

Here's the viral video:

As of now, MSNBC has not provided any response to the viral claims made by Grok.

‘No Kings’ Rally In Boston: How Many People Attended?

The 'No Kings' rally in Boston, Massachusetts on Saturday was one of the biggest gatherings the city has seen in the past few years. Organisers estimated that around 125,000 people were present at the tally in Boston.

Massachusetts politicians also made appearances at the protest at various points. Among the attendees were Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, US House Representative Ayanna Pressley, and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.

Additionally, 'No Kings' - the organizers of country-wide protests on Saturday, said that nearly 7 million people attended the protest, making it one of the historic days of anti-Trump protests in the United States.