FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show Nazi Flags Flying In Poland?
An image shared on Facebook claims to show large Nazi banners hanging from a building in Warsaw, Poland.
Verdict: Misleading
The image was taken during the filming of a World War II movie.
Fact Check:
Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, claiming they were trying to “denazify” and demilitarize the country, according to NPR. New reports suggest North Korea is covertly shipping artillery shells to Russia in an attempt to help the country’s war effort, AlJazeera reported.
The Facebook image shows Nazi flags in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. The Facebook image’s caption reads, “Poles in Warsaw today ended up in the Third Reich, a parallel reality. Posters with a swastika and Nazi flags were hung on the streets of the Polish capital. Horrified citizens and guests of Poland’s capital flooded Twitter with a reaction to what was happening.”
The photo is taken out of context. Check Your Fact was able to geolocate the image to the Palac Staszica, where the Polish Academy of Science (PAN) is located. Palac Staszica was used as a shooting location for a movie that took place during World War II and the Nazi flags were hung for the film, according to AFP Fact Check.
Joanna Gocłowska-Bolek, a Warsaw resident, tweeted out images of the set featuring World War II era German tanks and uniforms at PAN.
Mało brakowało, a zostałabym rozstrzelana pod Pałacem Zamoyskich. Uważajcie dziś w #Warszawa 😱 pic.twitter.com/kGP1erGk6a
— Joanna Gocłowska-Bolek (@YoannaGB) October 15, 2022
“It was close, and I would have been shot at the Zamoyski Palace. Watch out today in #Warszawa,” Goclowska-Bolek tweeted.
Katarzyna Kalinowska, a spokesperson for PAN, told Reuters that the flags were placed there for a World War II film about Krystyna Skarbek. Skarbek was a Polish spy who worked for the British, according to Business Insider.
Kalinowska said that the Nazi flags were hung on the palace between 8am to 6pm. She further said that “the consent was given to place film decorations referring to WWII period on the Palace façade and shoot film in the building’s arcades.”
Check Your Fact has had a close eye on misinformation regarding Europe. Recently, Check Your Fact debunked a claim that the Ugandan President said supporting Ukraine would be “disgusting.”
