Mel Gibson Is Not Making a Documentary on Child Sex Trafficking in Ukraine
Photo: Screenshot – Twitter
Mel Gibson is not making a documentary on child sex trafficking. The founder of a non-profit organization in Utah dealing with child sex trafficking, previously suggested the actor to provide initial support for a documentary, but he confirmed for Associated Press that Gibson was not involved in the making of the film
A post on Facebook (screenshot here) claims that the famous Hollywood actor Mel Gibson is making a documentary film about child sex trafficking, involving countries like Ukraine, and the text says:
The main thing was to convict Putin for child trafficking. That’s all you need to know about the “objective” and “democratic” West.
The International Criminal Court in the Hague issued a warrant for the arrest of President Putin under the suspicion of war crimes due to his possible involvement in the kidnapping of children from Ukraine.
The Court stated that Putin was suspected of war crimes, illegal deportation of the population (children) and illegal displacement of the population (children) from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia. That does not mean he is convicted. To be convicted, Putin must appear before the Court in the Hague, where he will be tried for what he was suspected of committing.
The theory that the “democratic West” is involved in some kind of illegal trafficking of children and organs in Ukraine is nothing new. No evidence has ever been offered for such claims and they are part of a well-known conspiracy theory. Of course, such a theory is welcomed in the bulk of Russian disinformation narratives that have intensified since Moscow started its invasion of Ukraine last year.
It is not the first time for the opponents of the West to spread such fabricated stories, and that Western countries are those abusing children, and supposed heroes like Putin or Donald Trump are saving them. Such stories were woven – and still are – about the former President of the United States, Trump, presenting him as the alleged savior of thousands of children. Truthmeter has covered these conspiracy theories and apparently, they are used to glorify Putin’s character and work, without facing the facts.
As for the claim that the famous Hollywood actor Mel Gibson is making a documentary film about child trafficking involving countries like Ukraine, that is also untrue and has been denied by the actor’s publicist.
He is not making a documentary, stated Alan Nierob, Gibson’s long-time publicist for Associated Press.
The claim appears to stem from comments made earlier by the founder of a non-profit organization against child sex trafficking, who is developing various film projects, including documentaries, AP writes.
Tim Ballard, producer and founder of „Operation Underground Railroad, said at the time that Gibson sought organizations to help in the retrieval of a dozen orphans from Ukraine during the Russian invasion last year.
At his January appearance at the Utah Eagle Conservative Forum in Salt Lake City, the former agent of the Department of Homeland Security, Ballard, said he knew Gibson because the actor helped edit “The Sound of Liberty”, a film about Ballard and his organization scheduled for release this summer.
Ballard said he asked Gibson for money to film the rescue effort in Ukraine, and the actor agreed.
He said “No problem” and helped us to start the recording. Four months later, what I thought might be a documentary about Ukraine turned into four-part documentary series, which is almost complete, Ballard said.
Nierob declined to comment for the AP on Ballard’s remarks or to elaborate on Gibson’s connection with the non-profit anti-trafficking organization, but he pointed out that the actor “is not financing any kind of a multi-part documentary series.”
The Utah-based organization is among the many that successfully cashed out on the conspiracy theories in recent years disseminated by QAnon, AP points out.
Ballard, in a statement given for AP, said that he stands by “every word” in the January video where he described Gibson’s role in helping to rescue children at risk of trafficking in war-torn Ukraine.
But he also admitted the actor was not involved in the filming of the upcoming documentary and, as he said, it was produced by Nick Nanton of DNA Films and a number of others serving as executive producers.
It is not the first time Mel Gibson’s name has been linked to conspiracy theories spread by QAnon supporters. Truthmeter has already written on this topic.
From all the above stated, we can conclude that Mel Gibson is not filming any documentary about child sex trafficking. The founder of a non-profit anti-trafficking organization in Utah, previously suggested the actor to provide initial support for a documentary, but he confirmed for the Associated Press that Gibson was not involved in the making of the film.
Therefore, we assess the fact-checked post as untrue.
This article was produced within the framework of the project “Promoting Access to Reliable News to Counter Disinformation”, implemented by the Metamorphosis Foundation. The article, which has been published on the Macedonian-language version of Truthmeter, was produced with the support of the American non-profit foundation NED (National Endowment for Democracy). The contents of the article is the responsibility of the author and do not always reflect the positions of Metamorphosis Foundation, NED or their partners.
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