A tweet went viral on social media claiming French President Emmanuel Macron has asked those who refused the Covid vaccine to stay at home. A quick fact-check however reveals this is fake news.
Journalist Selvaggia Lucarelli shared an Instagram post featuring a photo of Macron and a long caption in Italian.
Almost a week later, a quote from the post was widely shared on Twitter; the first account to tweet was an unverified one. The tweet has since been removed and the account suspended.
"I no longer have any intention of sacrificing my life, my time, my freedom and the adolescence of my daughters, as well as their right to study properly, for those who refuse to be vaccinated," reads the translated quote, which was lifted off the Italian journalist's post.
"This time you stay at home, not us," the post reads.
President Macron does not have daughters or any children. His wife has three children from her previous marriage - none of whom are adolescents. Two of them are in their forties and the youngest daughter is 37.
Several people called out the hoax on Twitter and asked people to not spread it.
There's a fake Macron quote doing the rounds about how he won't sacrifice "the adolescence of my daughters" for the unvaccinated and "this time you are staying at home, not us". Aside from anything else, he doesn't have adolescent daughters (or any daughters).
— alex hern (@alexhern) July 21, 2021
"There's a "quote" from Macron doing the rounds, it's fake. Sharing fake quotes just because they align with your values or because it makes you feel better is still spreading misinformation," journalist Laura Howes tweeted.
You know why I was suspicious of that thread? Despite having been retweeted thousands of times (including by at least one journalist who should know better), it was from an obscure account and didn't contain any details of its source. https://t.co/RpOtc6EZ8L
— Ed Bott (@edbott) July 21, 2021
The caption of the Instagram post was the view of the journalist and not of Macron - the wrong translation is supposedly the reason behind the hoax.
The journalist did start her post by saying that she supports the French President's new policy on vaccination.
Macron had announced last week that people who are not vaccinated will not be allowed in restaurants, museums, cinemas, flights and trains. If someone wants to visit these places or get on a plane, they will have to provide a Covid negative report, which will no longer be free.
"I am aware of what I am asking of you and I know that you are ready for this commitment. This is, in a certain sense, part of your sense of duty," Macron had said adding the only "weapon" available against the virus was the vaccine.
A day after the announcement, more than a million people reportedly signed up for the vaccine.
The journalist, in her post, was reflective of Macron's views of ramping up the pressure for vaccinating the population. She then possibly spoke about her own freedom and her daughter's adolescence and education.
Many people apologised for sharing the wrong tweet. MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan apologised for sharing the incorrect tweet after the error was pointed out.
Apologies - I retweeted a thread earlier, containing translated quotes from President Macron on vaccinations which turned out to be mistaken/mistranslated. I should have done due diligence and I'm annoyed at myself.
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) July 21, 2021
I blame waking up too early today (!) & not speaking French.
Macron, while imposing strict rules and making vaccination for healthcare workers mandatory, had also said that a nurse who refused to get the shot will no longer be allowed to work or get a salary.
"We cannot make those who have the civic sense to get vaccinated bear the burden of inconvenience," he added.
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