14. Migrants committing a rape in Spain. Fake or not?
In 2019, a person posted a graphic video on Twitter of a man beating a woman until she was unconscious. He falsely claimed that the attacker was an “unaccompanied minor Moroccan migrant from Canet de Mar” in Catalonia and that he had “raped” the victim. He had uploaded the video just days after a woman in Canet de Mar was allegedly raped by two foreign minors from a reception centre. Prosecutors say the man had previously published racist and xenophobic messages online and wanted to stir up hatred against migrants. The accused deliberately shared the “shocking” video with a “clear disregard for the truth,” they added. “All this, with the aim of defaming unaccompanied minors from other countries in a general and unjust way.”
HOW CAN WE VERIFY THIS?
The footage, which received over 21,900 views, actually showed an assault in China. The Guardian reports that police officer’s Twitter account was full of racist and xenophobic material, had initially sought a two-year sentence. Other material on his Twitter account included a Celtic cross, a symbol often used by the far right, and a quote from the late white supremacist terrorist David Lane. “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children,” said one of his tweets, quoting the former leader of the US Ku Klux Klan.
“Driven by his animosity towards, and rejection of, foreign immigrants of Moroccan origin, he published a tweet and a video showing an apparent rape committed by two minors in an effort to smear them by associating them in a general manner with violent acts and sexual assaults,” said the court.
WHAT ARE OTHER SOURCES SAYING?
Image search easily proved that the attack happened in China and had nothing to do with Spain. A 45-second video was easily proved fake. Spain’s leading daily also confirmed that this is the first time someone in Spain has been convicted for spreading fake news. As the person, who was a police officer, had no previous convictions, he was sentenced in November 2022 to two years in jail and the fine of 1620 Euro, but he is likely to avoid jail. Spain’s Civil Guard says they have also begun disciplinary proceedings after the trial in Barcelona. The man’s Twitter account has been shut down, while the court has also ordered the defendant to take an anti-discrimination course.
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FAKE OR NOT?
Fake!
