‘President of Africa’ cleared by Reuters of US invasion threat to support Trump

Last week, I blogged here about the fact that the Reuters news agency was investigating  – for a second time – whether ‘President Obonjo’ (aka comedian Benjamin Bello) really is the president of an African country.

In fact, this time, the worrying suspicion was that he is actually the President of the whole of Africa and that he had threatened to invade the US in support of Donald Trump. 

Reuters have today – presumably after a week of detailed research and fact-checking – come up with their conclusion… printed in full below…

---

Fact Check: Video of ‘African President’ American invasion is a comedy skit

By Reuters Fact Check

March 14, 2024

A video of comedian Benjamin Bankole Bello playing his character “President Obonjo of Lafta Republic” has been shared online as showing the “President of Africa” threatening to invade America over Trump’s prosecution.

The clip shared on Instagram shows Bello saying, in part, “If Biden and his people continue to prosecute Donald Trump, then I tell you this much, we will invade America.” The video is overlaid with text reading,“The President of Africa threatens to invade America over Biden’s corruption” and “Imagine Trump being so racist he had the backing of all of Africa and their President.”

Comments in response include: “But people would still say trump is racist and he’s the problem. Meanwhile you have Presidents from other countries defending the man because they know he’s still is rightfully so the COMMANDER AND CHIEF” and “He’s sending his soldiers to infiltrate via the open south border.”

The circulating clip is a snippet from a TikTok video posted by Bello on his account “presidentobonjo” on Oct. 4, 2023, after Trump appeared in court in a civil fraud case on Oct. 2.

The comedian regularly shares skits dressed as the same character on his social media profiles.

Ian Hawkins, a spokesperson for Bello, said in an email that President Obonjo is a comedy character created by the comedian and parodies world leaders. “The President often comments satirically on news events and current affairs,” Hawkins added.

Reuters has previously addressed another video of Bello’s character misrepresented online as the “African President.”

VERDICT

Satire. The video shows comedy character “President Obanjo” played by UK-based comedian Benjamin Bello.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

---

…and who is to say they don’t?

Can AI or indeed I myself be trusted on factual accuracy?… Some facts. (Maybe)

(Image by Steve Johnson via UnSplash)

Artificial Intelligence is on the up. Just today, Press Gazette reports that Martin Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert.com – which they claim is the UK’s “most-trusted brand” – has started using ChatGPT to answer readers’ questions but warns users it may ‘cock up’.

Regular readers of this blog – yes, I am talking to YOU, Miguel Santino in Guatemala – will know that recent reports by both ChatGPT and Claude AI about my death were somewhat exaggerated.

I am increasingly interested in the decreasingly thin dividing line between fact and fallacy. 

In the interests of clearing up some misconceptions, I post the following with only minor correcting comments. For a start, I would like to point out that I have never, as such, been a comedy club promoter…

---

CLAUDE AI: JOHN FLEMING BRINKSMAT

There does not appear to be any credible evidence linking John Fleming to the Brink’s-Mat robbery:

• The Brink’s-Mat robbery was a notorious gold bullion theft at Heathrow Airport in 1983, known as Britain’s largest robbery at the time.
• John Fleming was a comedy club promoter and writer in London in the 1980s.
• I cannot find any reputable news reports or legal records that implicate John Fleming in the Brink’s-Mat robbery in any way. His name does not appear in the court documents or journalistic coverage of the robbery investigation that I could find.
• There appears to be an unsubstantiated rumor, promoted by some tabloids and blogs, that Fleming may have helped launder some of the Brink’s-Mat stolen money through the alternative comedy clubs he was involved with at the time. However, this remains a speculation without proof.
• No charges have ever been brought against Fleming in connection to Brink’s-Mat. He does not seem to have been questioned or investigated by police in relation to it either.
• In the absence of any formal accusations, charges or credible evidence, there is no basis to claim John Fleming was actually involved in the Brink’s-Mat robbery in the 1980s.

So in summary, while John Fleming was part of London’s comedy scene at the time, the rumors of his involvement in the major Brink’s-Mat heist appear unproven and unlikely to be true based on the information available. I would need to see specific evidence before accepting any claim of his guilt in relation to this robbery.

---

CLAUDE AI: JOHN FLEMING ARREST

I do not have any information to suggest that John Fleming, the UK blogger, was ever arrested or had any run-ins with the law. A few key points:

• There are no credible news reports or public records I could find indicating John Fleming was ever arrested or charged with a crime. His online bios and obituaries make no mention of any legal issues either.
• His blog and published writings gave no indication of him having a criminal background. On the contrary, he seemed well-connected with police contacts and was brought in as a media consultant for law enforcement at times.
• As a prolific blogger since 2010, it’s likely any arrest or charges against Fleming would have left an online trail or been documented somehow publicly. But there is no evidence of this.
• There are other individuals named John Fleming who have been arrested and charged with various offenses over the years. However, none seem to match the identity and details of the late UK blogger based on what I could find.

In summary, while I cannot definitively rule out the possibility without access to full police and court records, all available information suggests John Fleming of “John Fleming’s Diary” did not have any arrests or criminal charges in his past. There does not appear to be any credible or substantiated information linking this specific John Fleming to any illegal activity. Let me know if you have any other details that point to the contrary.

---

I should point out very definitely and very strongly that I have never been “well-connected with police contacts” nor ever a media consultant for law enforcement despite what it says…

Artificial Intelligence can get very confused by facts. For example, I have visited North Korea twice – in 1986 and in 2012… I have even blogged about it… Yet…

---

Media desperation, gullibility and the Tina Turner tribute act that never was

The BBC ignored the slight visual differences between John Ward (left) and Tina Turner… (Photograph of Tina Turner by Philip Spittle via Wikipedia)

Singer Tina Turner died this week.

The following morning John Ward, esteemed eccentric inventor and designer of the Malcolm Hardee Comedy Awards including the Cunning Stunt Award, was out shopping when his mobile phone rang from a withheld number.

“Warily,” John told me, “I answered it.”

It was the BBC.

John writes a weekly newspaper column for the Spalding Guardian.  

Occasionally, he has been known to add in these columns, in the past, an unlikely throwaway line about how he gave up performing a Tina Turner tribute act some time ago with people citing such minor problems as his colour, height and girth  – “She is taller and slimmer than me” – and the fact that wearing the high heels gave his feet a hammering.

John is is in demand as an after-dinner speaker and local personality. At some functions/events which he attended, people would occasionally ask him if he might consider “going back to doing the Tina Turner act”.

John says: “I do detect that some of them have been quite serious… They actually thought I had done a Tina Turner tribute act. In one case, a lady at one charity bash said she would have ‘dearly loved’ to have seen me performing as Tina.  She was not alone. I would have dearly loved to see it too…”

Anyway he got a phone call from BBC Radio the morning after Tina Turner’s death was announced.

John tells me:

“The young BBC lady wondered if I had a moment or two as they would like to get a quote from me regarding the passing of Tina Turner as we had a ‘connection’ due to my tribute act…

“I asked how she had got my number but it was from somebody at BBC Radio Lincolnshire – so they, or somebody there, had read my stuff!

“I said Tina was a great performer and will be sadly missed by many around the world but, while we had never met personally, I felt sure Gyles Brandreth must have met her.

“Next thing was: Would I mind giving an interview over the phone, there and then, to discuss my tribute act and what inspired me to do it which might/might not be broadcast either on steam radio or online or both.”

---

The questions and answers went like this: 

BBC: What inspired you to do it?  

JOHN: I really wanted to do a George Formby tribute act but found I could not master the ukulele. So I did Tina Turner instead.

BBC: Was the Tina act easy to do?

ME: The biggest hurdle was to overcome my initial colour but, while this took some time, I like to think I nailed it.

BBC: Did you consider your singing voice on a par with Tina?

ME: She was an octave or two higher than me as many who had seen her perform in concert told me, but I was more of a visual act.

BBC: Will you be attending the funeral?

ME: The funeral arrangements have not been published yet, as far as I know, so I prefer not to comment.

---

“The BBC lady seemed to accept all this, thanked me for my time and said she would let me know if and when my segment would be broadcast.”

“Have you heard back?” I asked John.

“No. But later, in the afternoon, around four o’clock, someone from Central TV News rang up to find out why they had never covered the story. I asked him where he heard about my Tina Turner tribute act. 

“I was told by a friend at BBC Radio Lincolnshire…” he said. “So it seems the news is spreading.”