France

Does a video show a graveyard of green electric scooters that ran out of battery life and were abandoned because it is too expensive to replace them? No, that's not true: This video is real, but the reason the electric scooters were taken out of service had nothing to do with the batteries. Slowing demand for the bikes led the…

Have Ukrainian investigators recovered the jewels stolen from the Louvre museum from the assets of a Ukrainian billionaire who is an associate of President Zelenskyy? No, that's not true: The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), which purportedly seized the jewels, has not posted anything about it on social media. The NABU has denied it was true in a statement…

Does a viral video authentically portray the October 2025 Louvre robbery in Paris, France? No, that's not true: The clip is not authentic CCTV footage. The details of the scene in the viral video did not match the specific Louvre gallery where the theft took place. Additionally, French media reported that at least one of the robbers was wearing a…

Does a photo show a well-dressed French detective working the case of the Crown Jewels stolen from the Louvre? No, that's not true: The original poster later said it was a "fantasy version" she did not regret posting. There is no indication that this man is a detective working this case. The viral photo, and one other from the same…

Did Burkina Faso reverse its September 2025 ban on LGBTQ+ conduct, as of October 21, 2025? No, that's not true: There were no national or international news reports about that. The purported "unbanning" was not mentioned on relevant government websites in Burkina Faso, either. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on October 20, 2025. It…

Is an image of British Union Jack flags crowding the Mall in London during a popular uprising of patriots in late August, 2025, authentic? No, that's not true: The image shared widely across social platforms is an odd digital representation of the Mall, which runs a half mile from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square. This image shows the Arc de…

Is there any evidence for a story being spread online about "Olena K.", a Ukrainian anti-corruption official who supposedly defected to Europe and revealed real-estate corruption involving President Zelenskyy worth $1.2 billion ? No, that's not true: The story did not contain any verifiable details or documents and no media reported on the supposed events. The London Telegraph, the website…

Does a viral video on social media show Gazans who are fleeing Palestine arriving in Sweden? No, that's not true: The Ruahel Charity Association soccer team shown in the video represents various cities in the West Bank, not Gaza. The video shows players and coaches on a plane as part of a multi-city tour of Europe in July and August…

Did Paul McCartney give his private jet to a WW2 vet to help the 102-year-old American reunite with his wartime lover? No, that's not true: The text and supporting images in a story making the claim were generated by artificial intelligence tools. There is no documentation that the former Beatle lent his plane to an elderly veteran for a flight…

Did a widely-shared video show an Iranian woman dancing in the rain in June 2025, as a protest against that country's "Islamic regime"? No, that's not true: The clip showed Tamta Sabelashvili, a Georgian influencer and personal trainer who lives in France. She posted the video in 2023, meaning it had no connection to the Iran-Israel conflict that took place…