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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

El folleto que alerta de «leyes sexistas»

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The review investigates a leaflet warning male tourists about alleged risks during a stay in Spain because of “sexist laws.” It says Newtral examined the leaflet’s assertions against the law and consulted experts. The supplied text discusses claims about gender-violence complaints, specialist courts, detention, false accusations and benefits for victims; the excerpt does not include every section in full. (“Hemos analizado cada una de las afirmaciones que recoge y contrastado con la ley y expertos en la materia para verificarlas”) On complaints, the leaflet reportedly says any woman could make a complaint that would be treated as gender-based violence. The review explains that the legal category applies to violence by a current or former spouse, or someone in a similar affective relationship, and contrasts that with attacks by strangers. It says an assault or sexual abuse by a foreign visitor would instead be handled under the relevant Criminal Code provisions. (“La violencia de género SOLO es aquella que se ejerce sobre las mujeres por parte de «quienes sean o hayan sido SUS CÓNYUGES o de quienes estén o hayan estado ligados a ellas por relaciones similares de afectividad, aun sin convivencia»”) The article also distinguishes investigation from trial: specialist courts investigate these cases, but the case then goes to the appropriate criminal court for judgment, which may or may not be specialized. It says the 72-hour detention period cited in the leaflet is a general constitutional maximum, not a rule particular to gender-violence offences. It further states that a knowingly false accusation can be punishable under Criminal Code article 456, and that benefits are not automatic: the excerpt describes eligibility conditions for financial assistance and says victim status must be formally accredited. (“una vez concluida la instrucción, el caso pasa al juzgado de lo penal que corresponda”) The review therefore disputes the leaflet’s broad presentation by setting its warnings against legal limits and conditions. The supplied excerpt supports those specific explanations, but does not show the full analysis of the leaflet’s claim about the number of false reports or all details of employment and housing assistance.

THE QUINTPolitics & government

These three videos show Congress workers recently chanting 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned three videos posted on Facebook on 10 February with a caption alleging that Congress leaders had chanted “Pakistan Zindabad” and been thrashed by police. The Quint reports that all three videos were old, rather than evidence of recent events, and that the alleged slogans were not established by the footage: “All the three videos are old and the claim that Congress leaders are chanting pro- Pakistani slogans are also false.” For the first video, the review traces the clip to a 25 November 2018 event in Kankroli, Rajsamand, during the period before Rajasthan’s assembly elections. After speaking with Rajasthan Congress social media in-charge Zoheb Shaikh, The Quint reported that the workers were praising Congress candidate Narayan Singh Bhaati, not Pakistan: “If you hear carefully, the workers gathered are not raising Pakistan Zindabad slogans, but are saying ‘Bhaati-saab Zindabad’”. The other two videos were traced through reverse image searches of video clippings to a September 2018 incident in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. The review says police lathi-charged Congress workers there on 19 September, but contemporary media reports did not report Pakistan slogans; it also notes that no chanting is audible in those videos. Thus, the videos were misrepresented as recent and their content did not support the caption’s allegation.