Tunisian Red Crescent refutes false information circulating on social media, questioning its integrity

Tunis: The Steering Committee of the Tunisian Red Crescent (CRT) has rejected false information circulating on social media, undermining the integrity of the CRT, calling on the media to verify information with reliable sources before disseminating it and not to seek statements from "suspect" sources.Speaking at a press conference in Tunis on Saturday, CRT President Abdellatif Chabou stressed the Tunisian Red Crescent's readiness to provide the media with accurate and precise information, and presented a series of documents, videos and statistics to dispel rumours questioning the CRT's integrity.Electronic and paper documents and photos of the various donations and the stages of collection, sorting and storage in the centres set up for this purpose, as well as lists of the budgets allocated to help injured Palestinians arriving in Tunisia, were presented to the media representatives on this occasion. This is besides, a series of court rulings against those "responsible for the smear campaign against the o rganisation."He stressed that the channel spreading these false rumours was 'suspect' and that all the videos circulating on social media condemning the organisation were 'fabricated and unfounded'.The main aim of the plot against the organisation is 'to disrupt the Red Crescent's preparations for an aid ship to Palestine, which is due to leave in June,' he said.Spokesperson for the organisation, Boutheina Gragba, stressed that the 'campaign led by suspicious parties' had tarnished the organisation's image and disrupted its missions.The Red Crescent's headquarters had been attacked and that a number of volunteers had been assaulted, prompting them to consider resigning from the organisation, she added.Supermarket supervisors have also prevented Red Crescent volunteers from collecting donations from citizens, she said, adding that some citizens have demanded the cancellation of rental contracts for apartments used to house wounded Palestinians.Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse