She remakes the headlines without her knowing it. The last time we heard (officially) about young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was on July 1, during a climate summit in Austria. The 18-year-old then accused some political leaders of exploiting the climate crisis. Since then, his name has reappeared virally during the recent deadly weather in Western Europe (at least 165 dead and many missing due to flooding, in Germany alone, according to a latest report released on Monday. ).
The photo of a submerged car with a sticker saying “Fuck you Greta” affixed to the rear window has been re-shared on social networks. For many Internet users, the cliché sums up the irony of the news: while, for years, Greta Thunberg has never ceased to alert, among other things, to the effects of global warming, the cliché seems to be making a snub to his detractors. Some French Internet users, in their comments, rush into the breach. We can read: “Immanent justice or immediate karma … Look at the sticker on the left on the rear window. “
The photo might have been relevant, if it hadn’t been edited.
FAKE OFF
Although many netizens saluted the photographer’s eye, some did not take long to question the authenticity of the photo. To verify it, a search on Google images makes it possible to find the cliché showing the same car submerged to the trunk, but without the sticker on its rear window.
The first time this photo was published was last Friday, July 16, on the website of the German daily. Bild. She came to illustrate a
item on how owners can get compensation in the event that their vehicle has been damaged during flooding. There are many photos embedded in the paper, including the one we are interested in, taken by photographer David Young, as shown in the credit.
Nice morning,
AFP… Several media, via their section devoted to the fight against false information, have already pointed out this fake. So much so that, on Facebook, some publications with the faked photo carry the warning “Photo retouched”.
Finally, note that, if the photo of the site Bild has been hijacked, the “Fuck you Greta” sticker does exist. Several platforms offer it for sale for a few euros, promising drivers to make their vehicle “unique”.