Sarkozy Was There

Sarkozy Was There

Part of a series on Photoshop. [View Related Entries]

Updated Dec 27, 2021 at 12:40AM EST by Autumn Able.

Added Nov 12, 2009 at 03:01PM EST by TDL.

PROTIP: Press 'i' to view the image gallery, 'v' to view the video gallery, or 'r' to view a random entry.


Overview

Sarkozy Was There (French: Sarkozy y était) is a photoshop meme based on a snapshot of the former French president Nicolas Sarkozy[6] supposedly taken at the Berlin Wall on November 9th 1989, the night it was taken down. After it was uploaded to his official Facebook page on the 20th anniversary of the historical event in November 2009, French bloggers and journalists launched an inquiry about the authenticity of the photograph while anti-Sarkozy Facebook users ridiculed his desperate attempt at social media outreach by photoshopping his likeness into other notable events throughout history.

Background

On November 8th, 2009, a photograph of Nicolas Sarkozy apparently chipping away at the Berlin Wall was uploaded to the Wall Photos album on his official Facebook[1] page. The caption noted that he and several members of the now defunct political party Rassemblement pour la République (Rally for the Republic) went to visit the site when they heard it was most likely going to come down. Given pickaxes, they were able to tear down a section of the wall.



“We were fascinated with all the news coming in from Berlin, something major was about to happen. We went to the Brandenburger Tor, saw that there were many people already there, so we went through Checkpoint Charlie to the East Side of the wall, where we demolished a part with a pickaxe”.


Notable Developments

But on the same day, Alain Auffray, a journalist for the French newspaper Libération[7], pointed out that Sarkozy's attendance on that evening would have been unlikely, since there had been no advance warning of the East German announcement before the 6 o'clock news and no reports of West Berliners tearing down the wall until the following day on November 10th.

Photoshop Challenge

Le Post[5] also posted about the controversy the same day the photo was uploaded, taking a similarly skeptical approach towards its authenticity. In one of the earliest comments, an anonymous reader sarcastically noted that Sarkozy should start going back in time and change the course of history, such as coaching the now-retired French soccer player Zinedine Zidane how to defeat Brazil in the final game of 1998 World Cup or warning Eve not to eat the apple from the tree. Later that day, Le Post held a photoshop contest[3] asking users to submit their favorite photos of Sarkozy in history. Over the next several days, photoshop threads began on the Cassiopaea Forum[1], Liberation[4] and Lucid State.[11] The photo series was also discussed on the New York Times.[12]


Renton le 09/11/2009 à 14:25 On a beaucoup parlé de la finale de la CdM 98...mais peu de personnes savent que si Zidane se place dans la surface pour mettre son coup de tête dans le but Brésilien c'est pcq juste avant le match Nicolas Sarkosy lui avait dit qu'en étudiant le jeu des sud-américains,lui seul avait décelé ce point faible dans l'arrière garde Brésilienne Qui sait ce qu'il serait advenu si zizou n'avait pas suivi son conseil Serge K le 09/11/2009 à 14:36 Et bien on aurait fait match nul 0/0, et la suite ? Je m'en beurre le cu Abracadaboom le 09/11/2009 à 14:40 Plus grave encore,c'est ce même Sarko qui avait mis en garde Eve concernant le fruit défendu,d'où la provocation de Chirac en 1995 avec son fameux'manger des pommes!!! Et concernant 1995 regardez les prévisions du prophète Sarko! http://www.lepost.fr/article/2009/11/09/1782173_1995-sarkozy-demande-a-chirac-de-se retirer 1_0_1.html Renton on 09/11/2009 at 14:25 Much has been made the final of the CdM 98. but few people know that if Zidane is placed into the box to put his header in the Brazilian goal is PCQ just before the match Nicolas Sarkozy had told him by studying the game of South American alone had detected this weakness in the Brazilian rearguard Who knows what would have happened if zizou had not followed his advice Serge K on 09/11/2009 at 14:36 Well we have made a draw 0/0, and then? I butter the ass Abracadaboom on 09/11/2009 at 14:40 More seriously, this is the same Sarkozy who had warned Eve about the forbidden fruit, hence the challenge by Chirac in 1995 with his famous "eat apples"!!! And on 1995 look at the forecasts of the prophet

Debunkery

On November 11th, Le Post[10] posted a video of archival footage from November 16th, 1989 where Sarkozy is shown at the Berlin Wall, a week later than he suggested. Le Figaro, a daily newspaper often thought to be pro-Sarkozy, also reported that the former prime minister Alain Juppe, whom Mr Sarkozy accompanied to Berlin, did not go to Germany until November 16th.



Despite the historical evidence and records suggesting forgery and revisionism, an Elysee Palace spokesman denied such accusations and stated that "what [the President] said was strictly the truth. Nicolas Sarkozy doesn’t say the Wall was going to fall, he only says there was information about a change in Berlin."

Notable Examples




Search Interest

External References

Recent Videos

There are no videos currently available.

Recent Images 90 total



+ Add a Comment

Comments (24)


Display Comments

Add a Comment


Word Up! You must login or signup first!