A bizarre rumor spread like wildfire online: North Korea had given Israel a 24-hour ultimatum to release Greta Thunberg following Israeli forces’ raid on the Global Sumud Flotilla on its way to Gaza, detaining dozens of activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
News of the flotilla’s capture has triggered demonstrations across Europe, with protests reported in Greece, Italy and Belgium in support of Palestinians. Amid the media frenzy, some social media users claimed North Korea issued an ultimatum to Israel to release the Swedish activist.
However, fact check revealed that North Korea did not issue such statement.
The entire story was fake, born from a satirical post twisted into “news.” Yet by the time fact-checkers debunked it, the internet had already moved on to something else.
It is worth mentioning that late in September, North Korea urged Israel to leave the Gaza Strip, ending the crimes committed against Palestinians.
“Eighty years have passed since the end of World War II, yet genocide and crimes against humanity that can even overtake Hitler are openly committed in the Middle East, much to the consternation of the world,” Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong said in his address at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
