NBA superstar LeBron James may have made political statements in the past, but he did not comment on the arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte was arrested by Philippine authorities on March 11 for alleged crimes against humanity linked to his administration’s controversial drug war. He was immediately surrendered to the International Criminal Court (ICC), where he remains in custody.
A lot of opinions have been posted online from both pro- and anti-Duterte supporters.
Among them was a post by the Instagram account “@kalebronjames,” which featured a deepfake video where the 40-year-old Los Angeles Lakers forward appeared to speak about Duterte’s arrest.
According to the fake video, Duterte “turned the Philippines into one of the most dangerous places for human rights defenders.”
“Extrajudicial killings, abductions, and outright assassinations became state policy under his rule. Beyond the cities, Duterte waged war on farmers and peasant leaders, overseeing the killings of 442 activists, 336 of them farmers,” the video said, as Duterte supposedly “earned the title ‘Massacre King’ for orchestrating mass killings in the countryside.”
It also showcased several orders Duterte made during his presidency, framing his “reign” as a “a period of systematic political repression silencing anyone who dared to resist.”
“His arrest isn’t just about him, it’s about justice for his victims. Unlike the thousands he had murdered, he is getting due process. But the fight isn’t over. The people must reject all efforts to whitewash his crimes and ensure that he, and every enabler of his bloody rule, faces full accountability. Duterte must be convicted,” James supposedly said.
RATING: This is fake.
Facts
The deepfake video was posted by @kalebronjames on March 18, exactly a week after Duterte’s arrest. It carried hashtags such as #phpolitics, #duterteikulong, #convictduterte and #lebronjames.
This is the fourth video posted by the account, which has 3,165 followers, including comedian and actor Eric Andre.
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