Sarkozy accused of Berlin Wall stunt

French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been accused of putting up a Facebook entry falsely suggesting he was in Berlin the day the wall began to fall.

French journalists who covered the November 9, 1989 events raised alarm bells over the well-timed note on Mr Sarkozy’s Facebook page, posted yesterday.

Mr Sarkozy is in Berlin for 20th anniversary celebrations today.

The post is entitled “Memories of the fall of the Berlin wall, November 9, 1989” and is topped by a picture of Mr Sarkozy appearing to chip away at a graffiti-covered wall.

Alain Auffray of the daily newspaper Liberation said Mr Sarkozy could not have arrived so quickly because the events unfolded late in the day November 9.

Archives of French newspapers suggest Mr Sarkozy went a week later, with a fellow conservative who later became prime minister, Alain Juppe.