The German state radio station and TV channel Deutsche Welle did not shoot a video about the “anti-Ukrainian flash mob in Poland”. No such video is available on the website and social networks of the Polish and English-language versions. Russian propaganda used Deutsche Welle’s signature style to create a fake story about a non-existent anti-Ukrainian flash mob.
Kremlin media and social media users began to spread false information about an anti-Ukrainian flash mob allegedly taking place in Poland. Its essence, as propaganda describes it, is to name your Wi-Fi networks with words offensive to refugees from Ukraine. As “proof” of such a flash mob, propaganda used a video allegedly made by the German media Deutsche Welle.
“An anti-Ukrainian flash mob is taking place in Poland. Local residents call their WiFi networks “Ukrainian pigs”, “Ukraine is hell”, “murderers from Ukraine”, “Ukrainians, go home”. Ukrainians are offended and try to complain, but so far with no results,” users write.
The shared video is made in the style of Deutsche Welle. On the right, in the upper corner of the screen, you can see the corporate logo of this German international media, which is financed from the country’s federal budget.
After the spread of such information, StopFake decided to check whether Deutsche Welle really shot a video about an anti-Ukrainian flash mob.
Neither the users nor the media gave a direct link to the publication, so we tried to find the video on Deutsche Welle’s official website or social networks. Since the video was accompanied by English subtitles and the flash mob took place in Poland, we decided to check both English and Polish versions of Deutsche Welle. After watching hundreds of videos, we never managed to find a single story about this anti-Ukrainian movement.
StopFake also asked Deutsche Welle‘s Polish and English-language editors to confirm or refute the existence of the shared video. In the Polish edition, we were told that they are “not the author of this film”. As of August 29, the editors of the English-language version have not yet responded to our request. All in all, Russian propaganda simply used Deutsche Welle‘s signature style to create a fake story about a non-existent anti-Ukrainian flash mob in Poland.
Previously, StopFake refuted the information that Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw allegedly beat Poles up for refusing to shout Nazi slogans.
