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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Crime & justice fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about crime & justice. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

6,854 published reviews in this topic

Deutsche Presse-AgenturCrime & justice

Selon un post sur Facebook, la police de Liège serait à la recherche d'une bande à l'origine de vols de petits chiens. Les animaux dérobés serviraient d'appâts pour de plus gros chiens dans des combats organisés dans la ville voisine, Herstal. La publication se réfère à l'agression d'une femme près du parc de la Boverie à Liège par des hommes de nationalité polonaise. Ceux-ci auraient eu l'intention de voler son Chihuahua

Publisher’s rating: une situation similaire a bien eu lieu près du parc de la Boverie à Liège, mais rien ne confirme les motivations de l'agression. Il n'est pas non plus question d'un Chihuahua, mais d'une autre race.

The Facebook post described a supposed series of small-dog thefts, alleging that stolen animals would be used as bait in dogfights in Herstal. It linked those claims to an assault near Liège’s Parc de la Boverie, reportedly by Polish men seeking to steal a Chihuahua. The review found that an attempted dog theft did occur near the park, but the available account did not establish the motive alleged in the post or identify the dog as a Chihuahua. The review reports that Liège police described an attempted theft of a small dog, identified as a Jack Terrier, near the park on 10 May 2020. The woman was slightly injured, and the assailants did not manage to take the animal. The review also says no other similar complaints had been filed, so it could not establish a repeated pattern of thefts. On the dogfighting allegation, the review says Liège police followed up after media inquiries by checking with the police zone covering Herstal. That police contact reported no similar incidents there. The review therefore found no support for the post’s claims of an actively sought gang organizing dogfights; the reported local incident alone does not substantiate those broader allegations.

TheJournal.ieCrime & justice

Italy wants to charge Bill Gates with crimes against humanity

Publisher’s rating: False

The claim concerned whether Italy, as a country or government, wanted to charge Bill Gates with crimes against humanity. The review traces the claim to a parliamentary speech by Sara Cunial, then a member of the Italian Parliament. On 14 May, Cunial addressed Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and said: “Next time you receive a phone call from the ‘philanthropist’ Bill Gates, forward it directly to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.” The source says a Facebook post circulating in the days before the review transformed this individual call into a claim about Italy. The distinction is central: Cunial was one MP, and the review says her speech did not represent the Italian government’s position. It also reports that she was interrupted and heckled toward the end of her speech, which the review presents as evidence that her call did not have widespread support among Italian parliamentarians. Cunial had been expelled from the Five Star Movement in 2019 and was an independent at the time of the speech. The review says the Facebook claim appeared to stem solely from Cunial’s speech and that no other member of Italy’s parliament had called for such action against Gates in recent weeks. It therefore concludes that neither Italy nor its Parliament wanted to charge him. The evidence supports a narrower account: one politician made a call during a parliamentary address; that is not evidence of an Italian government or parliamentary position.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturCrime & justice

In Stuttgart hat es einen mutmaßlichen Brandanschlag auf Fahrzeuge gegeben, die Technik zu einer Demonstration gegen die Corona-Maßnahmen hätten bringen sollen. In einem Artikel wird die Behauptung verbreitet, es habe sich um einen "Bombenanschlag gegen die Organisatoren der Corona-Demo" gehandelt. Zudem berichteten die Medien nicht über das Thema, heißt es

Publisher’s rating: Für einen Bombenanschlag gibt es bislang keinen Beleg. Über die mutmaßliche Brandstiftung haben die Polizei und viele Medien berichtet.

The report concerns three vehicles burned at an event-technology company’s premises in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim on the night before May 16, 2020. Police issued a statement about the fire on May 16. A police spokesperson said the vehicles were supposed to carry equipment to a demonstration against Corona measures at the Cannstatter Wasen that day; police suspected arson. The review says there was no evidence that a bomb caused the fire. [S1: “Die Polizei hat am 16. Mai 2020 eine Pressemitteilung über den Brand von drei Fahrzeugen auf dem Gelände einer Firma für Veranstaltungstechnik in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim in der Nacht zuvor veröffentlicht” and “Die Polizei vermutet Brandstiftung. Für einen Bombenanschlag als Ursache gibt es bislang keine Belege (Stand: 20. Mai 2020).”] The reviewed article went further, describing the incident as a bomb attack against demonstration organizers and claiming that people had narrowly escaped death after loading equipment into the trucks and leaving shortly before explosions. The review notes that the article did not identify the source for this account, that the police statement did not mention such a sequence, and that a police spokesperson said the trucks were not loaded when the fire occurred. [S1: “Im Artikel ist von einem ‘Bombenanschlag gegen die Organisatoren der Demonstrationen’ die Rede.” and “Die Quelle für diese Schilderung ist nicht näher benannt. Die Mitteilung der Polizei erwähnt einen solchen Ablauf nicht. Nach Auskunft eines Polizeisprechers waren die Lastwagen zum Zeitpunkt des Brandes nicht beladen”] The assertion that media did not report the incident is contradicted by the examples the review gives. It says the Stuttgarter Zeitung reported on the fire on the morning of May 16, drawing in part on a dpa report, and that the dpa report was carried by several national outlets. It also cites Tag24 coverage with fire-service photographs and Bild coverage with a video. These examples show that the fire was reported, including possible links to the demonstrations; they do not establish that a bomb caused it. [S1: “Über die mutmaßliche Brandstiftung haben viele Medien berichtet - auch mit Verweis auf einen möglichen Zusammenhang mit den Demonstrationen in Stuttgart.” and “Die ‘Stuttgarter Zeitung’ unter der Überschrift ‘Unbekannte sollen Technik-Lastwagen angezündet haben’ basierend unter anderem auf einer Meldung der Deutschen Presse-Agentur (dpa) schon am Morgen des 16. Mai über den Vorfall” and “Das Portal ‘Tag24’ veröffentlichte Fotos vom Feuerwehreinsatz”]

Fact CrescendoCrime & justice

ഉത്തരേന്ത്യയില്‍ കുടിവെള്ളം എടുത്തു എന്ന കാരണം കൊണ്ട് മേല്‍ജാതിക്കാര്‍ താണ ജാതിക്കാരായ ഒരു സ്ത്രിയെ ആക്രമിച്ച് പരിക്കേല്‍പ്പിച്ചതിന്‍റെ ചിത്രം.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE. ചിത്രം പാകിസ്ഥാനില്‍ നടന്ന ഒരു സംഭവത്തിന്‍റെതാണ്.