Fact Check: Was Joe Biden Greeted by Empty Streets in Northern Ireland?

President Joe Biden's visits to Europe over the past two years have often been followed by misleading claims online that they were less than welcome.

Earlier this year, photos from Biden's visit to Poland were manipulated to make it appear the president had received an obscene gesture, while a film of a visit to London in was edited to include an inflammatory chant.

Now, pictures from his arrival this week in Northern Ireland, meeting with European leaders to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, showed the streets of Belfast bereft of any audience.

The Claim

A tweet by @hewentatthat, posted on April 11, 2023, viewed more than 26,000 times, showed a photo of what appeared to be an empty street in Belfast with the message: "Northern Ireland welcomed President Joe Biden this evening - impressive or what?"

The Facts

Previous presidents have received more enthusiastic greetings in Northern Ireland than appear to be seen in this photo.

Bill Clinton's visit in 1995, a few years ahead of the Good Friday Agreement, has since been memorialized and helped to firmly establish his reputation in the country, even after he left the White House.

It would seem, at face value, that Biden's lack of reception as depicted in the photo marked a far cry from the crowds and praise his predecessors enjoyed.

However, there's more to this image than meets the eye.

The photo was taken in Howard Street, Belfast, near the headquarters of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Many of the roads that police closed in anticipation of the president's visit are only a few minutes walk from Howard Street.

What time the photo was taken was unclear, though a widely-reported Police Service of Northern Ireland statement noted that from Tuesday there would be a "high visibility" security operation ahead of Biden's arrival.

While security would be a concern for any visiting public leader, the tensions in Northern Ireland are worth noting; only a day before Biden arrived, police vehicles in the city of Londonderry were attacked with firebombs during an illegal Irish republican parade, the BBC reported.

The U.K. government also recently raised the terror threat level in Northern Ireland from "SUBSTANTIAL" to "SEVERE", meaning an attack is "highly likely", following what it called "an increase in levels of activity relating to Northern Ireland Related Terrorism, which has targeted police officers serving their communities and also put at risk the lives of children and other members of the public."

In this context, it appears there have been heightened efforts to securitize the city, even outside of any official engagements. While the date and time of the photo were not included in the tweet, it's likely it was taken on Tuesday evening, as police began preparing for Biden's arrival.

This brings us to why this tweet needs some context. As has been reported, the president only arrived in Northern Ireland at 9:16 pm BST on Tuesday evening, reaching Belfast around 10:20 pm.

Rather than a motorcade parade, Biden's arrival was relatively low-key, with the bulk of his engagements both in public and otherwise to happen on Wednesday.

As reported by Britain's ITV News, Biden was greeted on arrival at RAF Aldergrove by U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, before the president drove away.

BBC News reported that crowds had already gathered by 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday morning to see Biden's motorcade along its route.

Although the photo with police and security presence in Howard Street on Tuesday evening may have implied that Biden was scheduled to arrive there, it appears these were merely preparatory and not tied to any organized public appearance.

Residents speaking to Newsweek said there was already anticipation across Belfast ahead of Biden's visit. The president's repeated talk of his Irish roots has been well-received in the country.

Biden's own Irish ancestors came to the United States in the 1840s and 1850s after the famine, which devastated the population of the island.

The Ruling

Needs Context.

The photo shared on Twitter was taken in Howard Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday.

However, the picture was taken at night and was not part of any known parade or motorcade route the president was taking or due to take at that time.

Biden arrived late in Northern Ireland on Tuesday evening, continuing straight to a hotel in Belfast at around 10:20 p.m. local time. His public engagements were due to begin on Wednesday morning and crowds had reportedly gathered to see Biden's motorcade.

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team