Biden's Gaelic football chant spurs false claims about missiles

"So Joe Biden says Mayo for SAM and the crowd in Ireland goes wild because they know it's code for 'Fighting The Brits' meanwhile he's trying to disarm USA patriots," claims an April 15, 2023 tweet.

Another post says: "#Biden is referring to the bidding war in Ireland for placing of a new American SAM (Surface To Air Missile) silo in Mayo but Kerry are bidding too. The US senate will decide, not the President. Biden is from Mayo hence the plea."

Image

Screenshot of a tweet taken April 19, 2023

Image

Screenshot of a tweet taken April 19, 2023

 

Other social media users posted and shared tweets with similar claims, gaining thousands of interactions in the days following Biden's April 14 speech.

The president's trip took him around the Emerald Isle, where he engaged with family history and commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which ended a period of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland known as The Troubles.

Hours after Biden landed in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, misinformation about the trip swirled online -- including false claims that he snubbed British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Biden's speech in Ballina, a riverside town in County Mayo, was no different.

The president did conclude his remarks with "Mayo for Sam" -- but it was not a reference to missiles. The chant is popular among fans of the county's Gaelic football team, which has not won the coveted Sam Maguire Cup since 1951.

Experts say "Mayo for Sam" is a cheer comparable to those of other sports, including American football and hockey.

"I know that Joe Biden obviously has a particular love for Mayo, and that's why it seems 'Mayo for Sam' has picked up, but there's nothing especially interesting about the actual history of it," said Coilin Parsons, director of the Global Irish Studies Initiative at Georgetown University. "It's like saying 'Capitals for the win,' or whatever the command is for the Super Bowl. It's pretty bland."

Parsons said the cheer is solely a reference to Gaelic football, not missile plans.

Ireland follows a policy of military neutrality. It is not home to any US bases and is not a member of any international alliances, including NATO.

Parsons said speculation about the relationship between the US, Ireland and the United Kingdom can partly be traced to remarks from former president Barack Obama, who spoke out against the UK's potential exit from the European Union ahead of the 2016 referendum. But he noted that relations remain strong between the three nations.

"Obviously, all of this came to a head over Northern Ireland and the implications that Brexit would have for the border, and for relations between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland," Parsons said. "There has been some tension in the 'special relationship,' but I would say there is no indication at all that Joe Biden has in any way made this trip in order to snuff the UK."

AFP has fact-checked other false and misleading claims about Biden here.