On February 24-25, 2024, Russian-speaking Facebook users (1, 2) as well as Russian state-controlled media Царьград and Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov shared a photo of the French president running away. According to the authors, during the opening of the Paris Agricultural Pavilion, the French farmers gathered there to protest the state’s agrarian policy and tried to attack Macron, while Macron ran away.
The photo, which allegedly shows Macron running away from the farmers, is being disseminated in a manipulative manner. The photo was taken in 2023. In fact, the French president went to the agricultural exhibition to greet the invited guests, and he did not run away from the farmers.
The photo of Emmanuel Macron is not recent as it was taken a year ago. The International Agricultural Exhibition of Paris is an annual festival founded in 1884, this year it is held for the 60th time. The widely circulated photo was taken at this festival, although in 2023. On February 25 last year, Emmanuel Macron attended the opening of the international agricultural exhibition in Paris, and the photo spread on the social network was taken by a journalist of the French publication AFP. According to Getty Images, when the photo was taken, the French president was “running” to greet the guests he had invited to the exhibition.
The Paris International Agricultural Exhibition is being held this year from February 24 to March 3, and it opened with protests from farmers. French farmers stormed the agricultural fair to protest the EU’s green policy. Some of them shouted at Macron and called him to resign. Emmanuel Macron attended the opening of the agricultural fair to hold a debate with farmers, food processors, and retailers, but the farmers ultimately refused the debate.
Farmers across Europe have been holding protests for several weeks now. They have been burdened by the debt of retailers and agricultural companies for years, their returns are small due to cheap foreign imports, and farmers are also protesting the subsidy system. The war in Ukraine made the situation of European farmers even more difficult. During this period, the price of wheat increased for a short period, and Russian aggression stopped the trade flow.
False information about Farmers’ protests has been debunked by “Myth Detector” in the past as well. For more details, see:
- THE PHOTO OF HAYSTACKS IN PARIS IS GENERATED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)
- ANOTHER FABRICATED VIDEO ABOUT UKRAINE AND FRANCE, ATTRIBUTED TO EURONEWS, HAS BEEN CIRCULATED
For more information about the fake news disseminated about the President of France, see our articles:
- DISINFORMATION AS IF MACRON OFFERS TO EXPEL MEMBER STATES FROM THE EU
- FOUR LIES OF SPUTNIK AND RT ABOUT MACRON AND THE “YELLOW VESTS”
- WHAT IS MACRON ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT AND ARE GERMANY AND POLAND DEPENDENT ON RUSSIAN GAS?
About the Source
The Facebook account “Maia Tvaltvadze” regularly spreads disinformation and conspiracy theories. “Myth Detector” has debunked the false information spread by the user many times in the past.
Archive links: Maia Tvaltvadze, Царьград, Vladimir Solovyov
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