Since appointing him to head Lebanon’s next cabinet, thousands of news and rumors have been spreading about Hassan Diab. Some of those were true, and others were fake until lately, a fake Twitter account under the name “RealHassanDiab” has been spreading fake statements, quoting the new PM.
The account gained around 5K followers in just a few days, and even those who weren’t following the account believed the fake tweets and participated in spreading them.
The tweet that made a huge fuss in the Lebanese twitter states that the new PM met the speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri and discussed how they would distribute the ministries, assuring fighting corruption and improving the economy.
The tweet also states that the new government will represent every Lebanese, including the protestors, the Future Movement, the Lebanese Forces, and The Progressive Socialist Party.
بحثت مع السيد رئيس مجلس النواب نبيه بري ماهية الحكومة والعدد وتوزيع الحقائب، وأكدت برنامجها لمحاربة الفساد والنهوض الاقتصادي والمالي، على أن يكون تشكيلها مناسبة للم الشمل وبالتالي تمثيل جميع الشرائح البرلمانية من الحراك والمستقبل والقوات والاشتراكي.
— حسان دياب Hassan Diab (@RealHassanDiab) December 22, 2019
Amid the chaos of the tweet, a huge number of people assured their rejection of any political participation in the new government, re-assuring that they want it to be an independent government.
Among those who believed the tweet was the member of the Parliament Paula Yacoubian. The latter responded to it in frustration, “The previous government included all the parties, and the people brought it down. You told me yesterday that the new one will include independent people who you will name, so how come that it will represent all the parties? If you aren’t able to form an independent government, don’t waste the people’s time.”
@paulayacoubiannewsembedded via
Just a few hours ago, the PM Diab tweeted from his real twitter account (hassan_b_diab ), “I haven’t said anything on any social platform, and this is my only official account.”
As hundreds and thousands of people are rejecting Diab’s appointment, such fake accounts and statements will only ignite the people’s anger and detach them from the hopes they have, if there’s any.
In such days, we will pass by tens of fake news and rumors while scrolling through social media. Instead of helping to spread the fake news, we need to seek for the truth in order to avoid such chaos and unnecessary anger and its consequences during this crisis. Our responsibility is to expose the truth and avoid the rumors.
