In June-September 2022, Georgian and Russian-language (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) Facebook accounts have been actively disseminating a video taken on the beach, showing dozens of people burying their heads in the sand. The authors of the post claim that this is a protest organized by environmental activist Greta Thunberg against CO2 emissions, and she forced her supporters to bury their heads in the sand not to breathe and rid the planet of exhaled carbon dioxide.
The disseminated posts contain video manipulation. Greta Thunberg did not ask her supporters to bury their heads in the sand and stop breathing. In fact, an environmental group unrelated to Thunberg wanted the performance to represent people who ignore the effects of climate change.
Part of the posts feature the ‘Voice of America’ logo, and a video was published on their YouTube channel on October 12th, 2019, explaining that performance by environmental activists on an Australian beach symbolizes people who ignore the risks of climate change.
In a statement posted on Facebook about the planned protest, we read that in an alarming climate situation, many people have their heads in the sand and are afraid to face reality. The statement also mentions that the activists will dig a hole in the sand on the beach that is big enough for them to breathe and simultaneously bury their heads in the sand.
The activists are part of the global Extinction Rebellion movement and are unrelated to Greta Thunberg. The socio-ecological organization was founded in London in 2018. There is no mention of any connection with Greta Thunberg on their website.
The video was also verified by the Spanish-language outlet Chequeado.
For more disinformation related to Greta Thunberg, see the previous articles by “Myth Detector:”
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