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in General Factchecking by Journeyman (2.2k points)

Sky News article excerpt: 

The mayor of Plettenberg in North Rhine-Westphalia banned the spiky plants from municipal buildings after a man required medical attention after injuring himself on a cactus in a school building.

8 Answers

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by Novice (960 points)
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The headline of the article "Prickly mayor band cactus plants in buildings" is a little misleading and exaggerated but there is truth behind the claim.

After looking into this, I found multiple reports about the issue that affirmed that the mayor of Plettenberg did in fact decide to ban cacti after a man was injured by one in a school. As the article mentioned, Mayor Ulrich Schulte did write to staff saying, "Due to the current situation, all official and private cacti (Cactaceae) must be removed from municipal buildings immediately."

The article's headline makes it sound like he banned cacti from all buildings, this is not true. He only banned cacti from municipal buildings. Therefore, the claim is misleading but is not false.

Here are two other articles that talk about the issue and that I used as resources:

 https://www.ecr.co.za/shows/east-coast-breakfast/german-mayor-bans-cactus-plants-schools-and-nurseries/

https://euroweeklynews.com/2024/10/21/cacti-a-dangerous-decoration/
Exaggerated/ Misleading
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by Newbie (340 points)
The article's heading is enticing and raises questions for obvious reasons. It states that the mayor of Plettenberg effectively banned cactuses.

The article then states that the mayor banned cactuses from municipal buildings after a man injured by the plant needed medical attention. The author then explains that the injury took place in a school building, and the decision to ban it was based on the consideration that it could have easily been a child who needed to seek medical help.

The extent of the injury will not be disclosed due to privacy reasons, and the mayor believes that the plant could cause "ugly injuries," leading to the immediate ban.

While cacti were banned in municipal buildings, the overall title needs to be more accurate; it is not entirely prohibited in the entire city of Plettenberg but simply in inside buildings.
by Novice (620 points)
1 0
This helpful as you go over the exact claims of the article and address them in the end. I think you could've added more and addressed the claim more in depth. I would've also liked you to provide another source just to site and add more validity.
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by Newbie (360 points)

This claim that Ulrich Shulte banned cacti from schools, town halls, and nurseries is true. A letter from the mayor himself was sent to government workers which stated Due to the current situation, all official and private cacti (Cactaceae) must be removed from municipal buildings immediately.” This action was due to an adult seriously hurting himself which raised concerns for the safety of children around cacti. 

True
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by Novice (670 points)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/no-cacti-for-plettenberg-german-mayor-bans-cacti-in-all-municipal-buildings/ar-AA1sERih#:~:text=According%20to%20reports%2C%20Plettenberg%20mayor,cactus%20in%20a%20school%20building.

Mayor Ulrich Schulte did in fact ban cactuses. In this article, they explain that this ban occurred after a man injured himself. He claims that these cactuses can cause ugly injuries and banned them in schools, halls, and nurseries. 

True
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by Newbie (360 points)

the title "a mayor in germany banned cactuses" lead me to believe that if they see anyone with a cactus they will be arrested. however after reading the article i found out that they are only banned in the town of Plettenburgs' schools and nurseries. places that have the most children are where they mayor banned the prickle plant after a man got injured by one in a school building. the title of the claim is misleading to the reader

the article: https://www.yahoo.com/news/no-cacti-plettenberg-german-mayor-144927119.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAGDCQuHOlVKsxqc7dhGHbGU7UF042d1OXXgp-1o00ph25HOj6xs8TNQy8mIjQE_Ua2AKqG6VvFKl86XWd3hR8vj_kHjljpMmWA_zMR3UavEgShFgrUqXIjNb2n0Nl9KoYCzgazPVaEgk0Gn5kXvlXjY8u2usbVfi5gHvPrLMKk4D caught my eye because it has a clear title of what the authors point is. A man was injured by the prickle plant and the mayor though that this event could've ended a lot worse if a child came in contact. so the major to action by banning it in common areas that kids are surrounded by, schools and nurseries. the action of the cactus plan being banned in germany is true but the extent of the ban was not clearly stated. 

Exaggerated/ Misleading
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by Newbie (340 points)

While the statement is true, the mayor did indeed ban cacti from all municipal buildings, it is slightly exaggerated to grab your attention. Cacti are not banned in the whole town, like the title would suggest. 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/no-cacti-for-plettenberg-german-mayor-bans-cacti-in-all-municipal-buildings/ar-AA1sERih#:~:text=Cacti%20are%20officially%20banned,situation%20at%20a%20school%20building.

Exaggerated/ Misleading
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by Newbie (360 points)

The main claim is that German mayor, Ulrich Shulte banned cacti in all municipal buildings is authentic. In the following article stated down below, it is stated that a man fell on a cactus, causing multiple injuries and a cause for a possible ban among all cacti in all schools, hospitals, town halls, and nurseries. 

https://phl17.com/trending/no-cacti-for-plettenberg-german-mayor-bans-cacti-in-all-municipal-buildings/

This website is authentic due to its true nature and provides multiple sources within one. There were many writers within this specific source stating the evidence and authenticity of the mayor banning cacti in many public German places.

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by Newbie (340 points)

The initial claim of the article is that the mayor of Plettenberg—a German town—banned cacti in municipal buildings following a cactus related injury sustained by a middle aged man. While this is true, it is important to add further context as to the reasoning for this ban.

According to multiple reputable sources, SkyNews and Euro Weekly, the mayor released the following statement: "Even if this order seems adventurous, excessive, superfluous or ridiculous to some employees, it has a serious background in terms of protecting the health of all employees and especially children in schools and daycare centres." This statement highlights the mayors emphasis on the protection of school aged children, thus adding context to what might otherwise be seen as an overreaction on the local governments behalf. In order to maintain validity going forward articles should make reference to this fact within the title or subheading of the article.

Exaggerated/ Misleading

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