The trigger: a questionable Hamas questionnaire
The news spread like wildfire on social media: an alleged questionnaire about the terrorist organization Hamas, which was said to have been circulated at a Berlin elementary school, caused a lot of discussion and outrage. The case became particularly explosive when a member of the Left in the Berlin House of Representatives used his reach to share the alleged questionnaire. According to the screenshot, sixth graders were asked to think about whether they felt Hamas' massacres of Israeli citizens were justified.
Clarification: false information exposed
The wave of outrage that spread across social media prompted the Berlin education administration and the affected Galilei Elementary School to comment on the incident. Both institutions vehemently denied that such a questionnaire was used in class. “This is a false report,” emphasized a spokesman for the education administration to the German Press Agency on October 18th. The school also made it clear: “This so-called worksheet does not come from lessons at the Galilei Primary School.” ( Source )
Press release
Galilei primary school denies accusation of “test of mind”
“The Galilei Elementary School clearly denies the claim circulating on social media that there is a “mind test” regarding the children’s attitude to the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Background: A photo of a worksheet that is said to have been used in lessons at the Galilei Elementary School in Berlin was distributed on social media.
This worksheet asks children whether they approve of Hamas' terrorist attacks on Israel and whether they think it is acceptable to attend demonstrations celebrating terrorist attacks. The Bundestag member Ferat Kocak then claimed on After thorough examination it is clear: This so-called worksheet does not come from lessons at the Galilei primary school.
The school is currently investigating a complaint against the original authors of this claim for spreading falsehoods. The origin of the image circulating on social media is unclear. Our school prohibits violence and its endorsement.
One of our most important educational goals is non-violent conflict resolution at school and in everyday life. We also adhere to the so-called “Beutelsbach Consensus”, according to which things that are controversial in society should also be discussed controversially in class. Accordingly, our teachers ensure a balanced presentation of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. We would like to express our disappointment that a member of the House of Representatives and others here are making a claim that is not true and that appears to have not been verified by these people.
This is clearly about the spread of fake news. This is also an educational goal at our school: Sources must be checked carefully before content is distributed publicly. We ask parents, political leaders and everyone who is interested in good education to first talk to the school in cases like the current one. The principal of the Galilei primary school”
The reactions: processing and criticism
The Galilei Elementary School expressed disappointment that a member of the Chamber of Deputies and others had spread the hoax without checking the facts. The original post, which claimed that a sixth-grade girl took the photo of the questionnaire in class on October 16, has since been deleted.
The question that remains is: who created this questionnaire? Is it deliberately spread fake news or a honeybot? We stay tuned.
Conclusion: A case study for the spread of fake news
This incident shows how quickly misinformation spreads in our society and how important it is to verify claims before they are spread. The rapid and transparent response from the educational administration and the school concerned helped to bring the truth to light and promote factual discourse. This shows once again how important it is to separate fact from fiction to ensure an informed public debate.
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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )