Fact check: Did German police arrest Santa for 'not wearing a mask?'
Humbug in Hamburg -- or Stralsund, Germany, where some social media posts claim a Santa Claus was arrested by police at a Christmas market because he wasn't wearing a face mask. PolitiFact checks the claim.
Posted — UpdatedHumbug in Hamburg — or Stralsund, Germany, where some social media posts claim a Santa Claus was arrested by police at a Christmas market because he wasn’t wearing a face mask.
But that’s not quite right.
There’s video of the incident, which happened at night and shows masked police officers talking to a man dressed as Santa Claus before frog-marching him away and then carrying him when he refuses to walk.
The demonstration was unregistered — and illegal, according to police — and he was taken to a patrol car "to determine his identity" after he refused to give his name to police. He was then released, about an hour after police responded to the protest.
The statement doesn’t mention a mask.
We rate this claim False.
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