Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Claim
French President Macron was attacked with an egg during a public appearance after the approval of the pension reforms.
Fact
The video dates back to 2017 when Macron was attending an agricultural event in Paris. The incident happened months before he won the French Presidential elections.
Despite months of protests against the French government’s proposal to raise the state pension age from 62 to 64, President Emmanuel Macron signed pension reform into law earlier this month. In this backdrop, a video of Macron getting hit by an egg while swamped by a crowd is going viral on social media. Those who shared the video claimed that it shows how Macron’s was received by the public following the recent pension reforms in France. Newschecker found that the video is old and that it is being shared in a false context.
Several social media users shared the video to show that Macron was “attacked with an egg” during a public appearance after the approval of the pension reforms.
Such posts can be seen here, here, here, here, here, and here.
News outlet Mirror Now also shared the video on their verified Facebook page with the caption, “French President Emmanuel Macron heckled once again. Man throws egg at Macron during a public appearance after the approval of the pension reform…”
Also Read: Old Video Shared As Ongoing Protests In France Against Pension Reforms
Fact Check/Verification
A keyword search for “Emmanuel Macron,” “Egg” & “Pension” did on yield any recent credible reports indicating that the French President was hit by an egg amid the ongoing protests.
We then scanned through the comment sections of the post carrying the viral video, and spotted a user pointing out that the clip was old and that it was from “a visit at the yearly agriculture event in Paris.”
Taking a clue, we looked up “Macron, “Egg,” “Agricultural Program,” & “Paris” in French language on Google, which threw up multiple reports from March 2017 elaborating on the incident.
One such report by Le Figaro, dated March 1, 2017, featured footage of the incident from a different angle, and stated “We no longer count the muscular exchanges between Emmanuel Macron and the French people he meets on his way. On Wednesday, during his long visit to the Agricultural Show, the presidential candidate received an egg on the head… (translated from French by Google)”
Macron took charge as the French President in May 2017.
Also Read: A Young Macron Dancing On Stage? No, Viral Video Does Not Feature French President & His Wife
Carrying a zoomed-in version of the viral footage, a report by Express, dated March 1, 2017, stated that Macron was attacked with an egg while attending the Salon International de l’Agriculture 2017 in Paris.
In the footage featured in the Express report, we spotted “2017” written on the cap of the man talking with Macron.
Further, we found that the viral footage was posted on the official Facebook Page of Le Petit Journal on March 1, 2017, with the caption, “When Emmanuel Macron goes to the agricultural show (translated from French by Google)”
Conclusion
We could thus conclude that the viral post claiming to show French President Macron being attacked with an egg “during a public appearance after the approval of the pension reform” is false. The video dates back to March 2017, when Macron was still a Presidential candidate, and is being shared in a false context.
Result: False
Sources
Report By Le Figaro, Dated March 1, 2017
Report By Express, Dated March 1, 2017
Facebook Post By Le Petit Journal, Dated March 1, 2017
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
