French president Macron’s office responds to viral videos accusing him of doing cocaine with German and British leaders
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Emmanuel Macron’s team is firmly addressing the unfounded rumors surrounding the President, taking a stand against the noise. Over the weekend, the French leader convened with prominent European figures, including Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in Kyiv, hoping to facilitate a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. However, a fleeting moment during their meeting sparked a significant uproar on social media. During this encounter, Macron was seen retrieving a crumpled white object from a table shared with the leaders, igniting speculation and conspiracy theories online. Some on Twitter gleefully suggested that he was involved in drug use, specifically cocaine. So, what was this mysterious white object? In reality, it turned out to be nothing more than a crumpled tissue – hardly the controversial scandal many were eager to believe it was. On Sunday (May 11), the Elysée Palace took to social media to counter the swirling rumors, even poking fun at those perpetuating them. Their post stated: “When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation can turn a simple tissue into something it’s not.” The Palace’s message also implied that these misleading narratives are being fueled by France’s adversaries, both international and domestic. Notably, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was among the proponents of this conspiracy theory online. They even included a close-up image of the tissue before Macron picked it up. Despite the clarification, rumors persisted, with some social media users shifting their arguments or continuing to suggest that drugs were somehow implicated in the meeting. One commenter questioned, “If it was just a tissue, why did Macron try to discreetly hide it? And why did their mood shift to awkwardness immediately after?” Another user added, “It wasn’t the tissue itself that raised eyebrows; it was Macron’s actions while handling it that seemed suspicious. If it were merely a tissue, he wouldn’t have acted the way he did.”
When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs. This fake news is being spread by France’s enemies, both abroad and at home. We must remain vigilant against manipulation.
d adding: “Why is Mr. Macron not taking a drug test and prove the disinformation theorists wrong?”
While many would have let the rumors simply die down, the French presidency has reportedly taken a tougher stance on disinformation.
An Elysée official who was granted anonymity said: “It’s by denying them when they emerge that we weaken them.”