One social media observer threw out the whole story as fake news, with French media having a history of offensive portrayals of Arab and Muslim communities.

The chairperson of Qatar Museums (QM), Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, has taken to social media to dispel rumours that she was the victim of theft while on a high-speed train (TGV) to Paris.

“Fake news, the victim certainly was not me,” the Qatari royal said via her Instagram story on Wednesday.

This was in response to a social media account naming her as the victim in question of a robbery that saw the disappearance of 11 Hermès handbags.

The rumours began with an article published late last month by French news outlet, Le Parisien.

According to the report, a theft took place on July 27 on a TGV ride from Cannes bound for Paris via Nice.

The report added that during the journey, an unnamed sister-in-law of the Qatari Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, realised 11 Hermès bags had been stolen. The train was subsequently stopped and held for approximately 20 minutes at Toulon for a search to be carried out.

Neither the bags nor thieves were found on the train and an investigation was launched, Le Parisien reported.

“The SNCF (the French National Railway Company) is not responsible in the event of loss or theft. It is the only traveller who is responsible for the supervision of his luggage,” the SNCF said to the outlet regarding the case.

One Qatari observer said via social media that no one carries 11 Hermès bags and that the story itself is fake news.

French news media has previously been criticised for its misrepresentative portrayals of Arab and Muslim communities.

In 2022, observers slammed French newspaper, Le Canard Enchaîné, after it published a caricature depicting Arabs in football kits as terrorists.

The image employs the exhausted use of ‘savages’ – long bearded, angry men with dark hair with angry expressions and wielding guns and knives.

This shockwaves across social media, with users denouncing the caricature. It followed the controversy sparked by Charlie Hebdo magazine’s decision to republish offensive cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in a similar vein in 2020.

After the killing of a teacher in France who showed the cartoons to his class, French President Emmanuel Macron added fuel to the fire by describing Islam as a religion “in crisis” worldwide and affirmed France would “not give up cartoons”.

In response to the Mediterranean country’s commonplace attitudes towards Islam, popular social media user Hend Amry remarked: “France is gonna France”.