US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has been criticised after sharing a photograph of two people in uniform from a Canadian youth cadet programme with the caption “this is real”. The image showed a teenage cadet receiving a medal from someone reported to be a volunteer instructor.
The post was widely interpreted as mocking their appearance. The civilian Army Cadet League of Canada accused Hegseth of online harassment, saying that derogatory comments directed at young people working to improve themselves and serve their communities were unacceptable.
