AFP Fact Check
AFP Fact Check
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Courtesy of Steve Kaye

One sturgeon photo, several false narratives

Published on Wednesday 22 May 2019 at 20:57
A photo of a seven-foot long sturgeon caught in British Columbia in August 2016 has travelled the world online, mostly without mention of its original context. People posted the photo on social media, reporting sightings of the large fish all over North America, in Central America, Europe and Asia. More recently it has returned to Canada with claims that the beast was spotted in the streets of Gatineau, Quebec following a flood.
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This meme features an image of a copper mine, not a lithium mine

Published on Wednesday 22 May 2019 at 00:29
A meme shared repeatedly since 2016 contrasts a large lithium mine with a small oil sands extraction site in order to denounce the environmental impact of lithium mining for electric car batteries. However, the top photo shows a copper mine in Chile and the majority of lithium is extracted from brine.
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It is not mandatory for Ontario public schools to provide a mosque for Muslim students

Published on Tuesday 21 May 2019 at 20:50
Posts, shared hundreds of times in Canadian Facebook groups, circulate variations of the claim that the Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has said it is “mandatory” for public schools to provide a mosque. The claims are false; accommodation to allow for religious observance by people of all creeds is required under the Ontario Human Rights Code, but there is no requirement for public schools to provide a mosque.
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AFP / Stephane De Sakutin

Samar Badawi was not executed, but she is imprisoned in Saudi Arabia

Published on Friday 17 May 2019 at 21:34
Rumours announcing the execution of human rights activist Samar Badawi in Saudi Arabia continue to resurface on social media, most recently in Spanish. Similar false posts made rounds in other languages in 2018. However, the activist has not been executed, although she is still incarcerated in Saudi Arabia, according to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW).
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