No, Lagarde Didn’t Say That “The Elderly Live Too Long”

Christine Lagarde’s alleged statement that the longevity of the elderly threatens the economy has been spreading since 2012, and during this period it has begun to be shared again on social networks, with the difference that it is now associated with the Coronavirus. There is no written or audiovisual evidence that Lagarde stated this. The European Central Bank also confirmed to a Spanish fact-checking site that the statement is made up, which has been viral for several years now. The purpose of this post, which is a conspiracy theory and contains false information, is to spread anti-vaccine propaganda

 

Social media post is spreading false information claiming that the president of the European Central Bank (ECB) and former director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, made the following statement:

The elderly live too long and they pose a risk to the global economy. We must do something urgent.

The post contains two photos of Lagarde. On the second is the statement attributed to Lagarde, with the caption: “Retirees, beware of vaccines, the Coronavirus was invented for you.”

This claim is false and aims to raise panic and spread fear, and thus to spread anti-vaccine propaganda, at a time when the vaccination process is beginning to protect the world population from the Coronavirus.

Lagarde’s alleged quote that the longevity of the elderly threatens the economy has been spreading for several years now, and during this period has been shared again on social networks, with the difference that it is now associated with the Coronavirus.

Although this statement is now being shared in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been circulating on the Internet long before this health crisis. Evidence that Lagarde said something like this can be found in 2012 as a post on a Spanish blog. This is eight years before the emergence of the Coronavirus and the pandemic. So, there is no logic in claiming that the pandemic started right after this statement.

There is neither written nor audiovisual evidence that Lagarde stated something like this. The European Central Bank also confirmed for a Spanish fact-checking site that this statement, which has been viral for several years, in fake.

Where does the statement attributed to Lagarde come from?

In 2012, the International Monetary Fund published a Global Financial Stability Report, and Lagarde was not present at the press conference at which the report was presented. In that document, in Chapter 4, the IMF warns of the financial impact and risk of longevity.

The publication of this document coincides with the year (2012) when Lagarde’s alleged statement can be seen for the first time. For this reason, the words attributed to Lagarde are probably based on this report, although this quote does not appear literally in the report nor did Lagarde utter it.

The purpose of this post, which is a conspiracy theory and contains false information, is to spread anti-vaccine propaganda. Deterring retirees from being vaccinated because of a fabricated statement is, to say the least, dangerous and irresponsible. If even one retiree believes in this disinformation, it can be risky for the health and life of this age group of citizens.

Therefore, no matter what age you are, follow the information placed by official institutions and do not believe any post on social networks, especially if the allegations are not accompanied by solid and irrefutable evidence.

 

 

 

 

 

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