Dutch Farmers

Did Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte try to "seize over 3000 farms" to "free land for immigrants" during the unsuccessful negotiations over immigration shortly before the government's collapse in July 2023? No, that's not true: The claim was first made on Tucker Carlson's show on Fox News a year before Rutte conceded that the members of his coalition couldn't reach…

Is the Dutch government planning to cancel its membership in the World Economic Forum, the Swiss-based international public policy organization? No, that's not true: The claim is based on a press release by a radical-right opposition party in the Belgian region of Flanders, not the Netherlands. The release says Flanders' leadership wants to tighten cooperation with the WEF, not withdraw…

Did Dutch farmers protesting against government measures aimed at curbing emissions buy a tank to block supermarket distribution centers? No, that's not true: tweets making that claim actually show video of a restored World War II vintage Sherman Firefly tank being returned to the owner's warehouse after an exhibition. The claim appeared in a tweet published by Keean Bexte on…

Does a photograph showing tractors blocking a highway depict a demonstration in reaction to Canada's trucker protest? No, that's not true: The photo is from pre-COVID times, not a 2022 trucker protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The claim was implied in a Facebook post (archived here) published on February 1, 2022. The post included the photograph and text, which reads:…

A Macedonian military man appears to be one of the driving forces behind a network of fake news websites that reached millions of people with articles often inciting hatred against muslims and migrants. Together with friends and family he has been spreading his messages via Facebook and Twitter. Sometimes under their own names, sometimes using fake identities. A look behind…