This fake story caught the attention of an unnamed leader of one of the African countries, who sent Macron a message asking about what is happening in France.
“One of my African colleagues wrote to me: ‘Dear President, what is happening in your country?’” Macron said in an interview with France 24.
The report, which garnered 13 million views, initially made the president smile, but the situation changed when he asked his team to report the fake to Meta. To his surprise, the platform refused to remove the video, stating that it did not violate its rules.
“These people mock us, undermine the sovereignty of democracies, and put us at risk. I still believe that I have more opportunities to influence than most. But it’s not working. We are not prepared enough,” Macron noted, referring to American tech companies.
By Wednesday morning, the video was still accessible online, with only a small note stating that “the content may have been created using digital technologies to create a plausible image.”
