Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

More Info

I would like to contribute

Ciara O'Rourke
By Ciara O'Rourke May 5, 2020

No, Greta Thunberg isn’t protesting Trump with a hunger strike

If Your Time is short

  • This story originated on a self-described satirical website. 
 

The headline of a story on a web page titled "Washington News Press" claims that Greta Thunberg, the 17-year-old climate activist from Sweden, has decided to go on a hunger strike until President Donald Trump is removed from office. 

If the premise of that story doesn’t seem suspect, perhaps this quote, attributed to Thunberg, will help you reconsider: "This is what Ghandi (sic) did. I saw the movie. The balance of a human life will outweigh the ignorance and douchebaggery of Trump. I will subsist for as long as I need on the elements of the air and the nutrients of the spirits that flow from mother nature through the wind. My will to heal this world is strong."

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) 

That’s because the supposed news story originated on bustatroll.org, a self-described satirical website. It was published on Dec. 19, 2019, with the labels "impeachment satire" and "warm fuzzy fan fiction."

Featured Fact-check

The poached story that appears on "Washington News Press" has no such caveats, and as it gets shared widely on Facebook, users are missing that context. 

Sign up for PolitiFact texts

Thunberg has not announced a hunger strike in protest of Trump.

We rate this post False.

 

Our Sources

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Ciara O'Rourke

No, Greta Thunberg isn’t protesting Trump with a hunger strike

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up