DISINFO: Notre Dame fire is a sign of Europe’s decline
SUMMARY
Poles turn to conspiracies after Notre Dame fire. Comments on social media: There is a hidden meaning in the fire at Notre Dame; If we do not convert, we will all burn; Our European civilisation is dying. // Notre Dame: A Muslim minaret instead of a Catholic spire // The fire in Notre Dame the starting point for an apocalypse
RESPONSE
Recurring narrative on the Notre Dame fire, making a connection between the fire and the decline of values in Europe. The cause of the fire at Notre Dame is not yet clear, the investigation is ongoing. Most sources argue it happened because of electrical circuit and that it was an accident. See more debunked stories on the alleged decline of values in Europe here. Sputnik Polska published an opinion piece on April 17, 2019, quoting several social media comments under the headline: ''Notre Dame: ''The French are crying, the Poles are looking for conspiracies''. Picking up individual social media posts to suggest that certain narratives are the most common ones in the entire discussion is a common pro-Kremlin manipulative method. As in many other countries, also in Poland the discussion about the issue was multi-faceted, with many different threads, coming from both public figures and ordinary citizens. Later, Sputnik in Polish continued publishing conspiracies about the Notre Dame with a manipulative headline stating a Muslim minaret will appear instead of a Catholic spire on Notre Dame, and that the fire was a starting point for an apocalypse. *** The case was updated on June 24, 2019 to better explain the information manipulation used in this article.