On August 5-6, Georgian (1;2;3;4;5😉 and Russian-speaking (1;2;3;4;5) Facebook users disseminated the information that the artistic director of the Paris Olympics, Thomas Jolly, was hospitalized after being struck by lightning. Users shared a screenshot of an Associated Press News article with the same information. Facebook users are spreading disinformation, claiming that Thomas Jolly was hospitalized...

On August 2, the media (1;2;3;4;5;6), Facebook users(1;2;3;4;5;6;7;8;9;10;11;12;13;14) and pages (1;2;3;4;5;6;7) disseminated information claiming that a transgender female boxer confronted an Italian athlete at the Paris Olympics and won in 46 seconds. The authors assert that Algerian Imane Khelif is a transgender woman competing in women’s boxing. The same information was also disseminated by Russian-speaking...

On July 29, a Georgian-language Facebook user known for frequently spreading false information, lawyer Irakli Zakareishvili, published a photo claiming to depict France’s First Lady, Brigitte Macron, in her youth. The photo shows Macron topless. In the comments, Zakareishvili denies that the photo is digitally altered and claims that Macron is transgender. The same photo,...

On July 30, Georgian-language Facebook users published a video claiming to be taken at a rally supporting U.S. presidential candidate Kamala Harris. In the video, a person dressed in a genital costume is seen imitating a sexual act. The users asserted that the Democratic Party organized this entertainment program to support Harris. The video is...

On July 30, Georgian-language social media users (1,2,3) shared information claiming that Samsung suspended its Olympic sponsorship due to an insult to Christian feelings and withdrew $1 billion. The information that Samsung withdrew its Olympic sponsorship originates from a satirical publication. The tech company Samsung remains a partner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and...

On July 30-31, Georgian (1;2;3;4;5,6;7) and Russian-language (1;2) Facebook accounts spread a quote attributed to American director and actor Mel Gibson regarding the Paris Olympics. According to the quote, Gibson condemned the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics, saying:  “he Olympic ceremony in France mocked my faith. Who do they think they are that they can...

On July 27-28, pro-Kremlin media “Alt-Info” (1;2), the conservative outlet “Georgia First,” and Georgian-language users (1, 2) that regularly disseminate disinformation, commented on the appearance of the steel horse and bull’s head sculptures at the Paris Olympics. One user claims that the “bull’s head” is associated with the satanic symbol Moloch, which is also a...

On July 28th, pro-Kremlin media outlet Alt-Info, along with pro-government media outlets Imedi, POSTV, Publicist.ge (1;2;3), Resonance, For.ge (1;2), Spnews (1;2;3), and Newshub (1;2;3), published information claiming that the organizers of the Paris Olympics apologized for imitating the “Last Supper.” These articles were actively disseminated in Facebook groups (1;2) and by individual Facebook accounts (1;2;3;4;5;6). ...

In 2023, a network of Facebook pages appeared on social media, attempting to spread anti-Western messages through sponsored posts. These Facebook pages used memes to scale disinformation and reinforce stereotypical views in society, claiming that the promises of the EU are unreliable and that in exchange for membership, Georgia would have to accept conditions that...

On July 23, a Georgian-language Facebook account posted about Kamala Harris, the Vice President of the United States and a potential presidential candidate, claiming she provided sexual services to elites in the past. The post includes several photos and videos. One photo shows two women, with one, having curly hair and wearing a black dress,...

On July 20-21, Georgian and Russian-speaking Facebook accounts (1, 2), and Russian state media (1, 2) published a video showing a policeman applying red paint to a person dressed in a doctor’s uniform. The circulated visual material is linked to the bombing of a children’s hospital in Ukraine, with claims that the footage of the...

On July 15, a photo of Spanish footballer Marc Cucurella was circulated on social media, showing him at the award ceremony after the 2024 European Championship final. In the photo, the Spanish defender appears to have a tattoo depicting the map of Georgia on his leg. The description reads, “This says it all, Manuchar Cucurella’s...