&Quot;2023&Quot; &Quot;France&Quot;

Did professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe have a campaign with the breakfast cereal Wheaties that was canceled after she missed a penalty kick during the 2023 World Cup? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for General Mills, the parent company of Wheaties, confirmed that the claim is false. The claim also started on a satirical website. The claim originated in…

Did Dr. Meryl Nass represent the World Health Organization (WHO) at a press conference, boldly outlining plans to ignore existing human rights laws? No, that's not true: Nass does not speak for the WHO. She is an internal medicine doctor from Ellsworth, Maine, whose license is temporarily suspended while under review. This symposium was not a World Health Organization press…

Does a viral video show a large group of Ukrainian soldiers surrendering on July 24, 2023, or on July 30, 2023? No, that's not true: The clip captures a prisoner exchange that was reported to have taken place in late May 2023 in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. The story appeared in an article (archived here) published by halturnerradioshow.com on…

Did Pope Francis, acting on behalf of the World Economics Forum, publicly support euthanasia for "alcoholics, autistic and disabled people" to "help humanity" fight climate change? No, that's not true: The pontiff never said that. Following the Roman Catholic Church's long-established policy, he has condemned euthanasia more than once in his public speeches. Pope Francis does not work for the…

Did American actor Elijah Wood offer Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "to cure drug and alcohol addiction" on Instagram? No, that's not true: The actor doesn't post Instagram stories publicly. Wood did not say anything that would imply he was addressing Zelenskyy specifically in the heavily edited clip circulating on social media. The claim appeared in a tweet published on July…

Did the French military say in July 2023 that it would arrest French President Emmanuel Macron for treason during 2023 French protests? No, that's not true: The claim relies on unsubstantiated information and there is no evidence that the French military ever made such an announcement. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published on July 6, 2023, by…

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…

Does this video show an explosion at the European Parliament headquarters in Strasbourg, France? No, that's not true: A press officer for the European Parliament told Lead Stories that the claim video portrayed "inaccurate information" and, "There was no such event at the European Parliament." Local media in Strasbourg reported on violence in the area near the European Parliament headquarters,…

Does a video show a bulldozer destroying a street in France amid the 2023 protests following the police shooting death of a teenager of North African descent? No, that's not true: Despite a text overlay that implies the video was taken during or after French protests, the clip in question is a video compilation that was originally published on YouTube…

Did French President Emmanuel Macron impose "a total ban" on the use of social media or implement any other major restrictions on internet access in France in connection with mass protests? No, that's not true: While Macron did bring up the idea of shutting down social media, no such executive action was taken as of this writing. The claim appeared…