No evidence Emmanuel Macron described England as ‘an oppressive nation’

A quote attributed to President of France Emmanuel Macron describing England as “an oppressive nation” and claiming it “removed Scotland from the EU against its democratic will” is re-circulating on Facebook.

This quote has been spreading on social media for several years. As we’ve previously written, there’s no evidence President Macron ever said this. Other fact checking outlets have reported an Élysée Palace source claiming the quote to be a “complete fake”.

The full alleged quote posted on Facebook reads: “England is extremely fearful of ‘losing’ Scotland, hence the reason for their irrationality, and their lashing out at other nations who share Scotland’s plight in that England removed Scotland from the EU against its democratic will. England is an oppressive nation. A predator nation. A breaker of rules. A breaker of Treaties. A breaker of Peoples and nations. A murderous nation. A cruel nation. A nation disrespectful of others’ democratic rights, thoughts and opinion. A nation who believes it has a right and entitlement to others’ wealth and resources that under international law, does not belong to England.”

If this was a genuine quote it would likely have received widespread news coverage. But Full Fact has found no reports of Mr Macron publicly saying this, or words to this effect, either during his time as President or before.

The SNP’s Orkney branch has previously apologised in 2022 after the same graphic was shared and subsequently deleted on Facebook.

We often see quotes falsely attributed to politicians circulating social media. It’s important to check whether a quote attributed to a politician or other public figure is real before sharing it online.

Image courtesy of Jacques Paquier