Disinfo: European cities forbid Christmas trees

Summary

Europe has become so loyal to Islam that the police no longer ever intervenes in riots in the Muslim regions. The police fear the officers will be beaten up, or convicted for excessive violence. So loyal that it has become forbidden to wear crosses at schools. In some towns it has become forbidden to put up Christmas trees and say “Merry Christmas”.

Disproof

Recurring disinformation narrative about migration and alleged threats to Christianity in Europe.

Unfounded claims about Muslims posing a threat to Christmas have been debunked multiple times, see for example here and here.

See related disinformation claims: "Sweden cancelled Christmas TV concert not to irritate migrants", "France is banning Christmas symbols", or "In order not to aggravate people of other religions, there was no Christmas tree in Brussels".

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publication/media

versia.ru
  • Reported in: Issue 224
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 30/11/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: EU
  • Keywords: migration, Christmas
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Disinfo: Germany depends on the US in the sphere of security

Germany is a dependent state in the sphere of security. This country is helpless without the US. This is a sign of dependence.

Nov 29, 2020
Disproof

Recurring disinformation narrative about US hegemony in Europe. Pro-Kremlin outlets like to present other countries as American puppets. See similar narratives here, here and here.

Germany is an independent state and implements an independent policy. The narrative of the dependence of this country on the US is disinformation presented without any clear evidence. The statement that US military presence is “a sign of German dependence” is a speculative one. Germany and the US have close partner relations of two sovereign and independent countries. The US military presence in Germany is in the interest of both countries as well as in the interest of Europe security.

Disinfo: Too expensive for the Baltic States to synchronise their energy grids with Europe

Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia together with Russia and Belarus are part of the BRELL energy ring. The Baltic States want to disconnect from this ring and synchronise their grids with the rest of Europe through Poland by 2025. Lithuania explains that want to leave BRELL to be “energetically independent from Russia” but experts say that the process of disconnecting from BRELL will be too expensive for the Baltic States, the price of electricity for users will grow.

Nov 29, 2020
Disproof

The case is part of the Kremlin's disinformation campaign about European energy policy.

The BRELL energy ring is a Moscow-controlled grid. It is a potential threat for the Baltic States because Russia continuously uses energy politics as a foreign policy instrument.

Disinfo: Sandu wants to arrange a second Karabakh in Transnistria

Sandu wants to arrange a second Karabakh in Transnistria (the title).

Sandu in an interview […] says without hesitation: withdraw the peacekeepers as soon as possible, and we will arrange our Karabakh for Tiraspol. That is, it intends to use the army against Transnistria.

Nov 29, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative spread before the recent Presidential elections claiming that if Maia Sandu won, relations with Transnistria will deteriorate and the conflict will break out again. The elected president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, is credited with statements she did not make in an interview given on November 20 to the publication Европейская правда (Ukraine).

In the interview, she said nothing about Russian peacekeepers, the introduction of the army into Transnistria, or Nagorno-Karabakh. On the contrary, she spoke of a peaceful settlement of the conflict: ”I believe that one day there will be a geopolitical opportunity for the reunification of Moldova, and we must be ready for this. But in any case, it should be a peaceful solution”. Talking about the solution of the conflict, Maia Sandu said ”it should include the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Moldova”.