Fake: French Protestors Used Weapons the West Provided to Ukraine
There is no evidence that any weapons provided to Ukraine by Western
partners were used during the recent protests in France.
Category France
Fake translation added to French president’s UN speech about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
A TikTok video shared thousands of times claims to show President Emmanuel Macron apologising to France's former African colonies and pledging reparations during a UN speech in New York in April 2023. But the claim is false: AFP Fact Check traced the footage of the address to a speech from last September and found that the original English translation was replaced with a fake voiceover. Macron did not discuss Africa but talked about the Russian-Ukrainian invasion.
What’s behind this fake advert calling on North Africans to fight in Ukraine to get EU citizenship
Since May 21, a number of posts online have been claiming that an advertisement posted on the British jobs website Adzuna offers proof that Western countries are recruiting mercenaries in Africa and the Middle East to go and fight in Ukraine. However, we investigated and determined that this post isn't real.
Why fake anti-Zelensky graffiti is showing up all over the world – The Observers
Did graffiti depicting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a black hole "sucking up European money" really appear on the streets of a Paris suburb? What about graffiti showing the president as an insect or as excrement? According to images circulating online, graffiti like this has been popping up on the streets of several European cities. But in fact, none of them ever existed. We took a closer look to prove that they are fake.
Courchevel restaurant explains Ukrainian ‘burial dance’ mix-up – Truth or Fake
In a video circulating on social media, users claim that a waiter at an upscale French ski resort wearing a Russian flag jumpsuit carried a Ukrainian "coffin" during a champagne parade. The FRANCE 24 Observers team contacted Bagatelle Courchevel; the restaurant explained that the scene had nothing to do with the war in Ukraine. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.
Team Jorge’: Journalists expose the business of disinformation black ops – Tech 24
This week saw the release of a wide-ranging investigation into the lucrative disinformation industry, published by a media consortium led by the French NGO Forbidden Stories. At the centre of the story is a shadowy Israeli group nicknamed "Team Jorge" who claims it has influenced 33 elections worldwide with a potent combination of phone hacking and thousands of fake profiles. FRANCE 24's Technology Editor Peter O'Brien dives into the systems they use to wage disinformation "black ops".
Did Volodymyr Zelensky call for ‘preventive nuclear strikes’ against Russia? Not exactly
Social media users have been circulating a video of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, claiming that the footage shows him calling on NATO to launch preventive nuclear strikes against Russia. It turns out, however, that this footage isn't new - Zelensky made these statements back in October 2022. Moreover, the translation of his statement, originally in Ukrainian, leaves out some nuance.
Debunking an alleged anti-Ukraine poster in Paris metro station – Truth or Fake
Russian media and Telegram accounts have been sharing an edited anti-Ukraine poster, allegedly located in the middle of a Parisian metro station. Pro-Russian channels claims the poster shows French people telling Ukrainian refugees that they've overstayed their welcome. We debunk these claims in this edition of Truth or Fake.
Is this blonde woman with Putin a ‘paid extra’ for photo-ops? Nope
Social media users have noted that the same blonde woman has appeared behind Russian President Vladimir Putin on three different occasions - proof, they say, that he used "paid extras" during his address marking the start of 2023. However, it turns out that these images do feature different women. One is a soldier who was given a prize by Putin on December 31, 2022 while the two other images show a regional deputy (local politician) from Novgorod, and a supporter of the Russian president. This politician has been previously accused of being an extra.
Why are fake covers of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo circulating in Russia?
There have been at least six fake covers of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo circulating online, especially on Russian Telegram channels, over the past six months. And Charlie Hebdo isn't the only magazine targeted- fake covers of numerous international media outlets have also been circulating online since the start of the war in Ukraine. The FRANCE 24 Observers team spoke to an independent Russian media outlet that investigated these fake covers being posted.