Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe is attending the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York. A few days ago, he addressed the General Assembly and highlighted some critical topics related to Sri Lanka and internationally, such as global climate change.
Soon after the president’s speech, a photo post of purportedly President Wickremasinghe addressing the UN General Assembly has gone viral among social media users in Sri Lanka. Let’s look at the claim in detail.
Social Media Posts
A viral post based on a photo says Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe was seen addressing a near-empty UN General Assembly Hall, implying that many diplomats and world leaders left when he began his speech.
One social media user posted the image with the caption, “No more boasting about international recognition for Ranil. Look at the empty seats in UN when he was talking.”
Our investigation found that the viral photo was taken while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addressed the current UN General Assembly.
Fact Check
A Reverse image search led to a few articles by German media outlets and other international media, who reported that the assembly hall was nearly empty when Scholz addressed the assembly.
The viral photo was captured by the photographer Michael Kappeler and was also published on Germany’s DW website. Another news report can be found here.
Also, the same photo was posted in a message published on X by NEXTA TV, which mentioned that the small number of listeners for the speech had to do with the timing of the German Chancellors’ speech, which was scheduled for late in the day and the Japanese PM who spoke afterward, had to talk in front of an even more emptier hall.
A photo from the President’s Media Unit of Sri Lanka shows some empty seats in the hall when President Wickremesinghe addressed the assembly. Still, a considerable number of people were also listening to his speech.
However, another wave of misleading posts was created and shared with WhatsApp users in Sri Lanka using this image. These messages again tried to imply that most of the dignitaries were not present during the speech of President Wickremasinghe, as seen below.
However, an image comparison of photos of the crowd seen in the General Assembly Hall when two other presidents addressed the assembly just before and just after the Wickremesinghe (Congo and the Dominican Republic) also suggests that the number of attendees in the hall was likely similar on all three occasions.
It is important to note that the number of empty seats in a UN General Assembly Hall can be attributed to several reasons, including the time of day, the topic being discussed, and the level of interest in the speaker. Additionally, some topics may generate more interest than others, leading to a larger audience in the hall. Finally, the speaker’s popularity can also play a role in the size of the audience.
Therefore, the viral photos shared on social media are misleading and should not be taken as evidence that President Wickremesinghe’s speech was not well-received and poorly attended.
Similarly, during the 2021 UN General Assembly, images were shared to imply that the attendance for former Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa and a fact check in Sinhala can be read here.
Follow us and stay up to date with our latest fact checks.
Facebook | Twitter |Instagram | Google News | TikTok
Conclusion:
The first viral photo does not depict the Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing the UN General Assembly. It is a photo of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addressing the UN General Assembly on September 19th.
While there were several empty seats during President Wickremesinghe’s speech, there is no evidence to suggest that President Wickremesinghe’s speech was poorly attended, and the presidents who spoke before and after him also had more or less similar attendees.
Title:This Image Depicts German Chancellor Addressing the UN General Assembly, NOT Ranil Wickremesinghe!
Written By: Kalana KrishanthaResult: False
