Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
A participating speaker shouts expletives on stage at Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairperson of the World Economic (WEF), during the WEF annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
The archived version of the tweet can be seen here. We received this video on our Whatsapp tipline (9999499044), too, requesting us to fact-check it.
Close to 3,000 participants from 120 countries are gathering in Davos for the 54th Annual Meeting of the WEF between January 15, 2024, and January 19, 2024, where more than 200 public sessions will be held on issues ranging from economic growth and energy security to the climate crisis and technology governance.
Fact
Newschecker ran a keyword search for “Klaus Schwab abuse”, which did not throw up any credible news reports about such an incident.
Newschecker noticed that the viral video had a watermark reading, “Damon Imani”, to its left, which led us to this tweet by Imani, dated January 17, 2024, below the viral video he had uploaded, stating that it is satire.
We looked up Imani’s website, where the bio stated, “Damon Imani is an Iranian producer and artist based in Denmark, who creates video content related to various topics, including societal issues, news, and current events. Known for his satirical approach, Imani draws attention to societal and political issues through his work.”
Imani also pointed out the community note in another tweet, dated January 17, 2024, that he had already pointed out that the video is satire.
We noticed that Imani’s part in the viral video had different lighting, suggesting that it was edited.
Also, the viral excerpt showing Schwab and Viola Amherd, president of Swiss confederation, leaving the stage, is taken from the 27: 09 mark of a video from the WEF’s official YouTube channel, uploaded on January 16, 2024, proving that the viral video has been doctored. A similar Snopes report can be seen here, dated January 17, 2024, stating that the viral video is satire.
Also Read: Truck Loaded With Firecrackers That Caught Fire In Unnao Was Not Headed To Ayodhya
Result: Satire
Sources
Tweet, Damon Imani, January 17, 2024
Youtube video, World Economic Forum, January 16, 2024
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
