As part of the “volunteer coalition”, Emmanuel Macron went this weekend of May 10 and 11 to kyiv by train, with the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in order to put pressure on Russia, so that she accepts a 30-day ceasefire.
The trip was of course accompanied by some images and videos. Until then, nothing abnormal. We were in a usual communication service. Except that in one of the photos, certainly of poor quality, appeared a white and crumpled paper handkerchief, abandoned on a train table.
It didn’t take more for – disinformation goals – conspiracy accounts see a sachet filled with cocaine, supported in this by trolls undoubtedly in the pay of Russia. And two French politicians in search of light: Florian Philippot, ex-collaborator of Marine Le Pen, and Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, president of Debout la France. The latter going so far as to declare that Emmanuel Macron was like a “teenager caught in fault”.
Another long and fine form, next to Friedrich Merz, was presented as a “cocaine spoon”.
Faced with the rise of this pseudo controversy, the Élysée still wanted to put the church in the middle of the village. And reacted to X to denounce this false information.
“When the European unit disturbs, the disinformation goes so far as to pass a simple handkerchief for drugs. This false information is propagated by the enemies of France, outside and inside. Vigilance in the face of manipulations, ”writes the Élysée, with a better quality photo where we can clearly see that it is indeed a simple paper handkerchief. The “cocaine spoon” was obviously only a vulgar bamboo peak.
Barrot points Russia
The French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, has clearly pointed out Russia. “We see you!” So desperate to prevent peace in Ukraine that you now propagate flagrant hoaxes, “he reacted on X in English.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, supporters in kyiv, in particular France and Emmanuel Macron, have been regularly targeted by disinformation campaigns on social networks.
