MISLEADING: DO NOT SHARE
Claim:
The People’s Republic of China national anthem was played out across Rome.
Answer:
False. Footage was dubbed with the PRC’s national anthem.
FURTHER INFORMATION
This tweet from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying claimed that the PRC’s national anthem was played in a balcony concert in March 2020 to thank the PRC for sending a team of experts and medical supplies in aid of Italy’s fight against Covid-19. This was also reported on state media, China Global Television Network (CGTN).
This is false. The video has been edited to show unrelated videos of people clapping with the national anthem dubbed over the top. Italian online platform Open deconstructed the video and two others claiming that Rome had thanked China by playing and singing the PRC’s national anthem. Open points out the videos use footage from only two Roman streets: Via Taranto, and Via Etna – both of which are very close together and so not a representative of all Roman streets.
In addition, some of the footage used was of a video of Italians applauding in solidarity with healthcare workers on 14th March – crucially, without the sound of the Chinese anthem, which appears to have been added on afterwards in the version published by the Chinese government. This is Chinese State propaganda intended to make it look like the Italian’s are grateful to the Chinese for sending medical supplies.
SOURCE
Open – Coronavirus. Chinese propaganda and fake editing of the video “Thanks China”
AGTW – Coronavirus, Applauds From The Balconies Of The Capital
Origins of Claim
Tweet from Hua Chunying, People’s Republic of China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson
CGTN – Italians play Chinese national anthem to thank China for its aid
FULL TEXT OF CLAIM
Amid the Chinese anthem playing out in Rome, Italians chanted “Grazie, Cina!”. In this community with a shared future, we share weal and woe together.
