Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs
The Euroverify team has identified the unfounded claims circulating online in seven languages.
Viral social media claims that Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) applauded Ukraine’s use of US-supplied missiles to strike Russia’s Bryansk region are false, according to Euroverify’s analysis.On 20 November, a video showing MEPs applauding in the European Parliament’s hemicycle in Strasbourg was shared on X by Radio Genoa, an account known for spreading hatred and misinformation.The post claimed the MEPs were responding to the “approval to launch American missiles from Ukraine to Russia.” It has been viewed over 1.6 million times.In fact, MEPs were reacting to a speech delivered by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelesnkyy to mark 1000 days since the outbreak of Russia’s war in Ukraine.The speech was delivered on 19 November, the same day the US State Department confirmed that President Joe Biden had authorised Ukraine to use American-supplied long-range missiles to strike deep into Russian territory.However, the Ukrainian president made no mention of Biden’s decision in his speech, which is available to watch in full on the European Parliament’s website and published by the Ukrainian president’s office. There is no evidence that the MEPs were applauding that decision.The false insinuations have since spread virally online. The Euroverify team saw examples of the claims circulating on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and X, in English as well as Czech, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.How were the seeds of misinformation sown?The original footage can be traced back to a post on X by MEP Tomasz Froelich of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.He published the footage from the parliament’s plenary in Strasbourg, pointing out that the applause for Zelenskyy came on the same day that Ukrainian forces fired an advanced long-range missile, known as ATACMS, into Russian territory.The post, originally published in German, reads: “Almost the entire EU Parliament stands up for Zelenskyy, while at the same time Ukraine, after the USA gave the green light, fires the first ATACMS missile at Russia.”At no point, however, does Froelich claim MEPs were applauding that move.His post was taken out of context to suggest that the chamber stood on their feet in applause in reaction to the missile attack. Euroverify believes that insinuation was first made by Radio Genoa, and multiplied across platforms and languages by a string of social media users.What do we know about Radio Genoa?The X account named Radio Genoa has recently come under scrutiny for its viral contents that often stir up divisions with misinformation or half-truths.A red thread throughout the content it shares is the claim that Europe is in crisis, with gender identity, migration, and established institutions often blamed. The account has also openly endorsed far-right politicians, including the Netherlands’ Geert Wilders.In September 2023, Elon Musk shared a Radio Genoa post criticising German NGO vessels’ rescue operations in the Mediterranean and calling for a victory for Alternative for Germany (AfD) in German elections.It prompted the German Foreign Office to respond on X: “Yes. And it’s called saving lives.”Today, the account has the so-called blue checkmark on X, which according to the platform’s own guidelines should only be granted if an account has “no signs of being misleading or deceptive.”While some investigations have linked the account to pro-Russian propagandists, a July post from the account claims that its creator and administrator, Antonio Mastantuono, was the subject of a criminal investigation but that no evidence was found against him.
