A quote falsely attributed to George Orwell says that people who prefer corrupt politicians are not victims but accomplices online. The Orwell Society and The Orwell Foundation confirmed to Reuters that this quote does not belong to the English author.
” A people who prefer corrupt politicians, deceivers, thieves and traitors are not victims … but accomplices. George Orwell, ”read the reports (here, here , here , here).
The quote is usually mistakenly attributed to Orwell: Newsweek attributed the quote to Orwell in an article in 2018 (here), the quote also appears on various listing sites, including GoodReads (here, here), and it was shared on social media by different celebrities since at least 2016 (here , here , here , here).
Newsweek reported that Orwell wrote the quote in the 1940s, presumably based on a book by Orwell’s work entitled “The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell: If I Please, 1943-1945.” However, Reuters could not see any evidence of the quote in an archived version of the book here, nor in the other three parts of this collection (here, here, (here)).
Reuters did not find the quote in the extensive University College London Orwell Archive visible here.
Benedict Cooper, the publicity officer of the Orwell Society (orwellsociety.com/), which promotes the understanding and appreciation of the life and works of George Orwell, told Reuters by phone that the quote was incorrect and Orwell did not have the words said not.
Jeremy Wikeley, program manager of The Orwell Foundation, (here), a charity that brings together Orwell scholars and awards the Orwell Prizes, confirmed to Reuters in an email: ‘We do not think there is evidence that this is a true quote is not, you can be pretty safe to say it’s fake. He added that the quote was not even in line with Orwell’s own views, which were much more charitable for ordinary people! (While it is never naive about human nature. “
The quote was also slashed by Snopes when it appeared on social media in November 2020 (here).
VERDICT
Untrue. The Orwell Society and The Orwell Foundation told Reuters that Orwell did not say the quote and Reuters could not find any evidence of the quote in collections of Orwell’s works.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.