No, Uganda cop did not hit journalist with slingshot for asking ‘irrelevant’ question

An image that shows a cop aiming a slingshot during a press conference is viral with the claim that a Uganda police spokesman hit a journalist for asking an “irrelevant” question.

The former Dutch ambassador to India, Fons Stoelinga, shared the image with the same claim. (Archived link)

Newly appointed Uganda police spokesman hits News reporter with a caterpult for asking irrelevant question. pic.twitter.com/yfhelJy5H9

— Fons Stoelinga (@FonsStoelinga) March 14, 2022

Twitter user @_Sir_CharlesR shared this image and garnered over 25,000 likes and close to 7,000 retweets at the time of writing this article. (Archived link)

“Newly appointed Uganda police spokesman hits News reporter with a caterpult for asking irrelevant question.”

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💀 pic.twitter.com/KhiHJFq5OD

— Fully Vaxxed G! (@_Sir_CharlesR) March 12, 2022

Several other users have also shared the image with the same claim.

Newly appointed Uganda police spokesman hits News reporter with a caterpult for asking irrelevant question. pic.twitter.com/1IByYsvnjs

— Man’s NOT Barry Roux  (@AdvoBarryRoux) March 13, 2022

This image is also massively viral on Facebook.

FACT CHECK

Through reverse-image search, Alt News found that this image is from a press conference held on April 12, 2021, by the Uganda police force where the official spokesperson for the Uganda police Fred Enanga was demonstrating the use of a catapult.

The press conference was about the Directorate of Crime Intelligence confiscating several factory-made catapults during its intelligence operations, that had been imported by “anti-social elements” as tools of violence. The catapults were capable of firing metallic projectiles or bearings and thus posed a serious danger to the safety and security of Ugandans. The police had urged citizens to be vigilant against such acts of violence.

One can find the official press release by the Uganda police here.

Prominent Ugandan news broadcaster UBC Television Uganda also covered this news.

Thus, an image of the official police spokesperson of Uganda, Fred Enanga, conducting a press conference regarding the use of catapults by “anti-social elements” was circulated with the false claim that he hit a journalist for asking an “irrelevant question”.