The burning news from Lampedusa, a small Italian island at the heart of the migration crisis, has sparked a wave of misinformation on social networks. Hostile content, using fake news, was widely distributed with the aim of rejecting the reception of sub-Saharan migrants in Europe, and discrediting the action of NGOs.
Among this misleading information, a symbolic video was particularly relayed. We see young women dancing with migrants, presented as volunteers helping sub-Saharan migrants. This video was quickly diverted from its context to fuel anti-migrant propaganda. It was relayed mainly by accounts close to the European far right, and accompanied by stigmatizing comments towards NGOs which provide support to migrants.
However, this sequence did not take place in Lampedusa. It was enough to pay attention to the details to realize that the climate, the vegetation and the clothes worn by the volunteers do not correspond to those of the Italian island. It was revealed that the video was filmed in France, probably in the Calais region, by a charity called “Calais 4 Care”. This association provides help and support to refugees living in the United Kingdom, northern France and Belgium, but is not present in Lampedusa.
This manipulation of information clearly illustrates the political intentions behind the broadcast of these false videos. Supporters of the far right have seized the opportunity of the migration crisis to convey their hate speech towards migrants and discredit the humanitarian actions of NGOs.
It is important to remain vigilant and not be manipulated by these disinformation tactics. It is our responsibility as consumers of information to verify sources and not contribute to the spread of fake news. The fight against disinformation is a major issue of our time, and each of us has a role to play in preserving the integrity of information.