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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Politics & government fact checks

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

12,754 published reviews in this topic

NewtralPolitics & government

La imagen de Carme Forcadell con una camiseta de viva España

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim concerns an image shared on Facebook that appears to show Carme Forcadell wearing a T-shirt praising Spain and the King. Newtral says the image is a montage, rather than an authentic photograph of her wearing that shirt. Its account describes the image as having been shared at least 200 times and notes that it had previously been posted by a social-media account in February 2018. To check the image, the review reports using reverse image search to locate the original photograph and another montage made from it. The original photo shows Forcadell wearing an ANC T-shirt. Newtral identifies it as a 2013 photograph taken at the “Concert per la Llibertat” at Camp Nou in Barcelona, an event in support of the Catalan sovereignty process. The contrasting shirt in the shared image is therefore not what appears in the identified original photograph. The review also gives context for the original image: Forcadell was then president of the Assemblea Nacional Catalana, and the photograph appeared in an interview with El Punt Avui. In that interview, she referred to selling a set of yellow T-shirts, flags and stickers to help make a human chain supporting Catalan independence possible. This reported provenance and the original shirt help explain how the authentic photograph differs from the altered version.

FACTLYPolitics & government

Omar Abdullah has threatened to end Amarnath Yatra if the Government of India repeals Article 35A.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a Facebook post attributing to Omar Abdullah a threat to end the Amarnath Yatra if the Government of India repealed Article 35A. The same post also attributed a counter-threat about the Haj Yatra to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath. The review says it investigated the authenticity of the claims in that post, including Abdullah’s alleged statement. The review reports that searches for evidence of Abdullah making the statement found no results, and says it found no credible source authenticating it. It adds that a statement of this kind would likely have been covered by major Indian newspapers and television channels if he had made it. The article also distinguishes his documented position from the allegation: Abdullah had defended continuing Article 35A, but, according to the review, had not threatened to stop the pilgrimage if the provision were repealed. The review also cites a direct denial. When contacted by the fact-checker SM Hoax slayer, Abdullah reportedly said, “Never said it. It’s a total lie,” and challenged those making the allegation to produce a clip. The article further cites his tweet denying that he had made such a threat. Taken together, the review’s search findings, reported direct denial and cited tweet support its conclusion that the viral post’s attribution was false.

NewtralPolitics & government

Sánchez decide gobernar una comunidad autónoma [Navarra] con el apoyo de Bildu

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim concerned the formation of a government in Navarra in 2019: Cuca Gamarra said the Socialist Party of Navarra (PSN-PSOE) would govern the region with EH Bildu’s support. The review distinguishes support for the investiture from membership in the governing pact. It says Bildu was not included in the pact and that it was not going to vote in favor of María Chivite’s investiture; its position was to abstain. The review also reports that Gamarra made her claim in an Onda Cero interview on 29 July, and that other senior PP figures repeated the argument. The review describes the options put to EH Bildu members in a consultation about the investiture: abstention or voting against, with no option to vote in favor. It says 75% voted for abstention. Arnaldo Otegi had advocated abstention before the consultation, and the review reports that the party ultimately adopted that position. This evidence addresses the distinction at the heart of the claim: an abstention could allow the investiture to proceed, but it was not a vote in favor or inclusion in the government pact. On the pact itself, the review identifies the participating parties as PSN, Geroa Bai, Podemos and Izquierda-Ezkerra, and says Bildu was not included. It reports that the four parties agreed how to allocate the executive’s departments, while Izquierda-Ezkerra would support the pact without joining the council of government. The review notes that the bloc had 23 seats and needed the abstention of EH Bildu’s eight deputies to proceed. Thus, the described reliance on abstentions did not establish that Sánchez had chosen to govern Navarra with Bildu as a partner or with its affirmative support.

NewtralPolitics & government

Imagen de protesta de un CDR contra la Casa de Extremadura

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The viral claim said that CDR members had surrounded the Casa de Extremadura in Lleida and shouted “fuera colonos de mierda.” The review identifies the photograph instead as showing a demonstration called by Endavant on 18 November 2018. Endavant’s stated aim was to disrupt a Vox event at the venue, under the slogan “En Lleida los fascistas no tienen cabida.” The image’s connection to CDR members does not establish that the protest was directed against the Casa de Extremadura’s managers. The review notes that some attendees carried signs identifying them with the CDR of the ETSEA, but says their slogans were against Vox. It also reports that Endavant’s own post described the gathering as being against Vox’s training sessions in Lleida. The review could not independently verify whether anyone shouted the phrase attributed to the protesters. The Casa de Extremadura told the outlet that it was not shouted and that the allegation was invented. The review also reports that the venue’s board rejected the event, which had been called by the entity’s president without the other members’ agreement. Thus, the image is from a real protest at the venue, but the claim misidentifies its target and attributes an unverified chant to it.

FACTLYPolitics & government

The UPA government made a clumsy RTI act and was also done in haste.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim arose during the 2019 debate over the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill. FACTLY reports that Minister of State Jitendra Singh said the UPA government had made a “clumsy” RTI Act and that it had been done in haste. The review’s evidence addresses whether the original Act was rushed; it does not present a separate test of whether the Act was clumsy. Its conclusion therefore bears directly on the haste part of the compound claim, not necessarily on every aspect of the criticism. [S1: “Another claim made by the minister is that the UPA government made a clumsy RTI act and was also done in haste.”] To evaluate the timing, the review follows the bill through Parliament and a standing-committee review: it says the bill was introduced on 23 December 2004, referred to the committee on 31 December, and that the committee reported on 21 March 2005. FACTLY notes that the committee deliberated for more than 80 days before providing feedback, and uses that process to reject the assertion that the Act was passed in haste. [S1: “The RTI bill was introduced by the UPA-1 government on 23 December, 2004 in the parliament. It was then sent to the Department Related Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances , Law & Justice. The bill was referred to the standing committee on 31 December, 2004 and the committee submitted its report on 21 March, 2005.”]