By MELISSA GOLDIN, Associated Press

As demonstrations in Los Angeles over immigration raids unfolded in recent days, social media users falsely cited a Craigslist ad as evidence that protesters had been paid to participate.

“We are forming a select team of THE TOUGHEST dudes in the area,” the ad, which is no longer live, read. “This unit will be activated only when the situation demands it — BUT YOU GET PAID EVERY WEEK NO MATTER WHAT. high-pressure, high-risk, no room for hesitation. We need individuals who do not break, panic, or fold under stress and are basically kickass dudes.” It offered $6,500-$12,500 in compensation per week.

But the ad was a prank, it is not related to the Los Angeles protests.

Here’s a closer look at the facts.

CLAIM: A Craigslist ad seeking “the toughest badasses in the city” is proof that Los Angeles demonstrations over immigration raids are made up of paid protesters.

THE FACTS: This is false. The ad, which appeared in Craigslist’s Los Angeles section for general labor jobs, was bait for a prank show and had nothing to do with the protests in Los Angeles, the ad’s creator told The Associated Press. It was posted on Thursday, the day before the protests began. In a livestreamed episode on Friday, the show’s hosts called and spoke with people who responded to the ad.

“I literally had no idea it was ever going to be connected to the riots. It was a really weird coincidence,” said Joey LaFleur, who posted the ad on Craigslist.

The ad was developed as part of a new prank show called “Goofcon1,” said LaFleur, who hosts the podcast with Logan Quiroz. On their show Friday, the day protests began, they spoke live on the phone with people who responded during Goofcon1’s third episode. LaFleur noted during the episode that he also posted a more “militaristic” version of the ad in Craigslist’s Austin section, but didn’t get many responses.

Screenshots of the ad were used in social media posts on multiple platforms, cited as proof that those involved in the Los Angeles protests had been paid. The posts gained tens of thousands of likes, shares, and views.

“CALIFORNIA RIOT IS A FUNDED OPERATION,” reads one X post sharing the ad. “Destabilizing the Trump administration and the United States in general is the goal. Then, they receive billions of federal funding to ‘fix’ the damage and pocket the money.”

A TikTok video sharing the ad viewed approximately 14,100 times called protesters “paid agitators” who are turning “what was initially a peaceful protest of just marching into a full-blown riot.”

Others pointed to the ad as evidence that the protests “aren’t organic” or have been faked by Democrats.

After screenshots of the ad spread on social media, LaFleur posted about the confusion on his Instagram story multiple times.

“Accidentally goofed the entire nation on the latest @goofcon1,” one post reads. In another, he muses: “I don’t really know what to do with any of this. I guess get on Newsmax, or something. If I get on Newsmax, that could be funny.”

False claims about paid protesters regularly spread around demonstrations, especially those that attract national or international attention. Similar false claims spread widely in 2020 during demonstrations over George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police.