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Who is Via Getty? Confused Internet thinks that's the name of podium thief at Capitol riot: 'This is hilarious'

When a journalist posted the man's picture and credited it to the media company saying 'Via Getty', many thought that this was the podium thief's name

The phrase 'Via Getty' garnered a lot of attention on social media after users mistakenly thought it was the name of the Donald Trump supporter seen holding a podium in the Capitol building. 

However, the name 'Via Getty' is the name of a prominent media company and not the Trump rioter. As per photographs that were taken on January 6, a man was seen smiling and waving at the camera as he walked across the Capitol's rotunda holding onto a podium that had the seal of the House of Representatives. 

The news comes after chaos ensued as pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol, forcing House and Senate lawmakers into multi-hour lockdown. Lawmakers were trapped inside the building and Vice President Mike Pence had to be evacuated. The violent protests saw the deaths of at least four people while 52 arrests were made. 

The mob had breached the Capitol in an attempt to stop lawmakers certifying that President-elect Joe Biden had won the November election. The image of the Trump fan was shared on social media by journalist Ryan Lizza, who is the chief Washington correspondent at Politico. Ryan had written, "Via Getty, one [of] the rioters steals a podium from the Capitol." The phrase 'Via Getty' was a reference to the media company and photograph distributor Getty Images. However, some social media users got confused and believed that it was the name of the rioter.

They started to retweet his image and began demanding that he be tracked down. One such user shared, "Has Via Getty been arrested yet?" Another added, "His name is Via Getty. What kind of name is that?" In a since-deleted tweet, another user added, "I want Via Getty and everyone else who participated in this domestic terrorism at the Capitol today arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

The confusion got so bad that Lizza had to share another tweet explaining that 'Via Getty' was not the name of the person, which left many social media users in splits. One such amused user said, "On the one hand that's hilarious and on the other I still remember thirty years later how much my parents friends laughed when I mispronounced "genre" so ... Yeah, that's dumb. But someone unfamiliar with stock photos might misread it."

Another commented, "The year? 2031. You see an article about trending baby names. You click. The first entry with a spike in popularity starting in 2022: Via Getty - male name - meaning: "Thief of podiums"." Yet another shared, "Via Getty seems kinda fun actually. They’re gonna love him in federal prison." One said, "I’m sorry but the @viagetty stuff is hilarious."

We had earlier reported that The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has urged the public to give information regarding the violent activity at the US Capitol building. A number of pro-Trump supporters violently protested against Biden’s certification on January 6. They had shared, "The FBI is accepting tips and digital media depicting rioting and violence in the US Capitol Building and the surrounding area in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021. If you have witnessed unlawful violent actions, we urge you to submit any information, photos, or videos that could be relevant at fbi.gov/USCapitol."