Trump shows photos from the Congo as an evidence of « genocide in South Africa »
At the State visit by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the White House on Wednesday President Donald Trump showed incorrect photo material when he accused his guest not to take enough against the « genocide of white farmers » in his country. The Reuters news agency reports on Thursday.
Trump had shown Ramaphosa, among other things, the expression of a website. There was a photo of corpse bags that are buried by Red Cross helpers. « These are white farmers who are buried, » he said. Later Trump also showed video recordings.
Pictures come from the Congo
Shortly afterwards, Reuters spoke up with a clarification. « President Trump showed a screenshot of a Reuters video on Wednesday as part of his faulty evidence for a mass murder of white South Africans. The video was recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo », » So the news agency.
« Genocide » allegation: Trump provides South Africa’s president
« The video that Reuters released on February 3 and which was subsequently verified by the agency’s factual checkers shows assistants in the Congolese city of Goma while wearing corpse bags. The picture comes from Reuters material, which was taken after fatal battles with the M23 rebels, which were supported by Rwanda, » Reuters continues. The author of the exclusive video is the video journalist Djaffar Al Katanty. This was « shocked » by the incident.
The agency also names the source of the printed article: « The blog post that Trump Ramaphosa shows appeared on ‘American Thinker’, a conservative online magazine, and deals with racial conflicts in South Africa and the Congo. »
The fact check of the « Luxemburger Word »
The video images, which Trump showed, also turned out to be misleading on a closer look. The crosses that can be seen in the video and were referred to by Trump as « graves of white farmers » are not real graves. It is a protest from 2020 against the murders of farmers. The victims from several years represent the crosses.
The « Oval Office » as a stage
Two against one: Trump and Vance (right) against Selenskyj (left). Photo: AFP
It is not the first oval office meeting in Trump’s second term that causes a stir: at the end of February he had together with his Vice President JD Vance Duppated the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj. The meeting escalated when Vance Selenskyj disrespectfully called and asked him if he had ever thanked Trump.
Luc Frieden: « It is not America that I love »
Shortly after the meeting, the United States froze its military and intelligence support for Ukraine. For many international observers, also the Luxembourg Premier Luc FriedenFebruary 28th represented a turning point for relationships with the United States.
Ramaphosa rejects « genocide » allegation
Trump’s guest Cyril Ramaphosa decisively rejected the accusation of « genocide » on the white minority. « Unfortunately, people are killed by criminal activities, » he admitted the problem of many acts of violence in South Africa: « But these are not just white people – the majority of them are black. »
South African police statistics show that twelve people were murdered on South Africa’s farms between October and December 2024 – a small fraction of a total of 6,953 murder victims nationwide in the same period. Trump’s claim that there is a « genocide of the white minority » is a right conspiracy narrative. (KNA)
