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Video length: 4 min
The conspiracy theory that our leaders are extraterrestrials
A documentary details the conspiracy theories which discredit the history of the conquest and knowledge of space.
(Babel Doc/Together Media)
The new opus of the show “La factory du lie”, broadcast Sunday evening on France 5, propels itself into space to denounce the untruths which fuel conspiracy theories.
“Reject the collectively accepted version of an event and demonstrate that it resulted from a plot orchestrated by a minority.” This is the definition, according to the Canopé ministerial network, of conspiracyism, the most extravagant theses of which flourish on the web and progress in public opinion. A way to question historical facts, but also scientific theses. The exploration of space, a mysterious place par excellence, is an inexhaustible source of fantasies and does not escape the most fanciful conspiratorial ideas.
The documentary Space: fake news strikes back, directed by Elsa Guiol and Pierre Zéau, broadcast Sunday June 16 at 9:05 p.m. on France 5, draws up a range of untruths around the conquest of the universe. The film analyzes these beliefs established as certainties, which deny centuries of knowledge and fuel the ideology of certain leaders.
Suspicion of space research began in 1969 with the questioning of the most emblematic of all: man’s first steps on the Moon. An American feat in a Cold War context, quickly called into question. Some observers claim that these images were filmed in a studio and deny the reality of this historic moment. In the years following Neil Armstrong’s moon landing, this doubt was the consequence of an erosion of confidence in the official word after the Watergate scandal and its state lies, revealed in 1972. Fifty-five years later Later, the denial of this major episode was even fueled by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
Today, the round shape of the Earth, the very existence of space, the experience of French astronaut Thomas Pesquet in the international space station, are all scientific facts called into question on social networks or on blogs . SAlthough this may seem anecdotal, these convictions nevertheless reveal a deeper phenomenon, according to the authors of the documentary.
Coming from the United States, this trend also affects France, since according to an Ipsos survey in 2023, one in ten French people believe in extraterrestrials. “The idea that there is extraterrestrial life hidden from us by those in power (…) is delusional in many respects,” explains in the documentary Nicolas Martin, science journalist.
However, a community of researchers is working on these subjects. An official French organization is dedicated to this issue: the Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena Study and Information Group (Geipan), which records around 700 reports per year of mysterious space phenomena.
“In Geipan’s mission, there is a very important aspect, which is to inform the public, to inform the witness, specifies Vincent Costes, director of the institution until January 2024. We gives him the explanations that we could find. (…) Belief exists and it is deeply respected.” “There are no materials in Geipan, any extraterrestrial material that is being hidden from you”assures the scientist.
Despite these in-depth studies and analyses, the most delusional beliefs persist. Among them, the certainty that some of our leaders are “reptilians”. A theory ppopularized by the British conspiracy theorist David Icke in the 1990s. Followers of this myth seet in Emmanuel Macron, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, or even Mark Zuckerberg, some of these humanoid reptiles.
These beings would infiltrate the political and media spheres to subjugate the masses and ensure their own survival. “This idea of reptilians is based on a global conspiracy, in which the elites of the planet are all in fact extraterrestrials. Obviously, they have a plan to subjugate the human population”, explains Tristan Mendès-France, specialist in digital cultures.
If they are not new, these conspiratorial alternative realities have been amplified thanks to social platforms and are lastingly anchored in people’s minds. “We thought that all these delusions about aliens had passed into folklore, qwe were only left with Hollywood productions around these subjects, continues, startled, Tristan Mendès-France. We didn’t think that these would become real subjects, which truly challenge politicians today.”
The documentary Space: fake news strikes backdirected by Elsa Guiol and Pierre Zéau, is broadcast on Sunday June 16 at 9:05 p.m. on France 5 at 9:05 p.m.