DISINFO: French president is the symbol of Western moral decay, which caused the coronavirus
SUMMARY
A picture of Emmanuel Macron with naked young black men taken in 2018 in Saint Martin expresses a homosexual aesthetic which is a symbol of Western moral decay. It provoked God’s wrath and Europe is now hit by the coronavirus epidemic to punish Europe’s moral decay as illustrated by homosexuality and protection of the environment.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about "threatened values" and the West's alleged moral decay, specifically targeting the French president with allegations of homosexuality - a frequent trope deployed by pro-Kremlin media to make the case for Europe's moral decline. Pro-Kremlin outlets have sought to link the coronavirus with homosexuality on several occasions, including claims that the coronavirus was sent by God to punish homosexuals and environmentalists, and that gay marriage is a cause of the virus. Scientists and researchers have documented the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in the Chinese city of Wuhan. It comes from a family of viruses originating in animals that includes others such as SARS and MERS. See more examples of pro-Kremlin disinformation about the coronavirus here.