Audio translation of Emmanuel Macron's 2022 UN speech is altered
The actual speech and its official French transcript, contain no such apology
(Reuters) - Fabricated audio has been added to a video of French President Emmanuel Macron giving a speech to the United Nations General Assembly to make it appear that he apologized to African nations for wrongs they suffered during France’s colonial past.
The actual speech and its official French transcript, contain no such apology. The faked audio also says he was speaking in April 2023, but Macron was in fact speaking on September 20, 2022. There was no session of the UN General Assembly in New York in April 2023.
In the doctored footage, a male voice can be heard appearing to translate Macron’s words into English and saying: “Dear distinguished delegates, I stand before you today, April 30, 2023, as the President of the French Republic to express my deepest apologies to the African nations and peoples who were affected by France’s colonial past. We recognize the harm and damage caused by our actions and we are committed to making amends for the wrongs committed during that period.”
The manipulated video was shared on Facebook with comments such as, “AS PRESIDENT MACRON APOLOGIZES TO AFRICAN COUNTRIES, WE HEAR HIS WORDS. NOW, WE AWAIT THE ACTIONS!” (here) and “President Macron of France Apologizes to African Countries Colonized By France, Promises A New Deal Going Forward” (here).
But the original video uploaded in September 2022 on the UN website (here) features a female interpreter’s voice and shows Macron spoke primarily on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Video of the untranslated speech in French, along with an official transcript, can also be viewed on the website of the Elysee Palace (here).
While Macron did seek forgiveness over the 1994 Rwandan genocide in a 2021 speech in Kigali (here), Reuters Fact Check found no reports of him apologizing to other African nations for French colonialism.
The 78th session of the UN General Assembly is scheduled to open on September 5, 2023 (here).
VERDICT
Altered. Emmanuel Macron did not apologize to African nations for wrongs committed during the French colonial period. Audio of a 2022 speech to the UN General Assembly has been altered.
