Emmanuel Macron

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…

Did an "arson attack on the Bibliothèque nationale de France" (National Library of France) on July 3, 2023, destroy "thousands of books and manuscripts"? No, that's not true: The video in a social media post shows a fire at the historic Manila Central Post Office in the Philippine capital on May 21, 2023. The claim appeared in a post and…

Did Polish media "accidentally" catch on camera Volodymyr Zelenskyy's lookalike as he followed the Ukrainian leader during President Joe Biden's February 20, 2023, visit to Kyiv? No, that's not true: The person seen following the Ukrainian president is his bodyguard Maksym Donets, who has been photographed and filmed many times in public settings with the president. Social media posts shared…

During his February 20, 2023, trip to Ukraine, did President Joe Biden promise Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "stake in the United States" as a reward for "staying the course"? No, that's not true: This claim was published by a site known for printing fake news stories. The claim was part of an article with other debunked claims, including one…

Did former White House Covid-19 coordinator Jeff Zients die at Guantanamo Bay's Camp Delta in Cuba on December 21, 2022, after being arrested by the U.S. military? No, that's not true. This claim originated from an article published on a satirical website that cited anonymous sources and repeated already debunked false statements. The claim appeared in an article (archived here)…

Did the U.S. military arrest "several Deep Staters" who attended President Joe Biden's state dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron on December 1, 2022? No, that's not true: The U.S. military is not allowed to arrest civilians. This claim comes from Real Raw News, a website that regularly produces fabricated headlines and articles. The claim appeared in an article published…

Did U.S. Special Forces take House Speaker Nancy Pelosi into custody after the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps charged her with "multiple counts of treason and seditious conspiracy"? No, that's not true: A representative of the U.S. Special Operations Command earlier denied to Lead Stories that Special Forces had arrested any civilian, and noted that the Special Forces do…

Were Nancy Pelosi and "other Deep Staters" arrested at a President Joe Biden banquet in a faux White House owned by filmmaker Tyler Perry? No, that's not true: No branch of the U.S. military is allowed to arrest civilians, per the Posse Comitatus Act. This claim comes from a website that regularly produces fabricated headlines and classifies themselves as a…

Did Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly, mock Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by portraying him on its cover as "an obedient dog" eating out of a "European" dog dish? No, that's not true. The publication has stated that this cover image and two similar ones circulating online are fake. The weekly now charges that "Russian propagandists" on Telegram "are creating…

Did a French television station's display showing French President Emmanuel Macron behind 217,571 votes prove election fraud? No, that's not true: An election night broadcast that aired numbers showing Macron behind opponent Marine Le Pen was a glitch in the software used by a French TV station to tally votes with numbers directly from the Ministry of the Interior. It…