Get PolitiFact in your inbox.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on May 26, 2022. (AP)
World Economic Forum does not have its own police force
If Your Time is short
• The World Economic Forum does not have its own police force, according to police from the district in Switzerland where the organization’s annual gathering is held.
• A badge that police wore during the event says "World Economic Forum police," but it was created by emergency services personnel as a way of expressing "team spirit," police said.
Social media users shared photos of a badge worn by police at the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland, to make unfounded claims about the organization.
One example is a May 23 tweet by Charlie Kirk suggesting the World Economic Forum has its own police force. Kirk, founder and president of conservative group Turning Point USA, tweeted a photo of a badge with the words "World Economic Forum police" on it.
"Why does the World Economic Forum have their own police force?" Kirk asked in his tweet.
That premise is wrong.
"The WEF organization does not have a police force," said Roman Rüegg, a spokesperson for police from the Grisons canton, or district, where the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering is held.
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
Police in the district are identified by official uniforms, ID cards and police patches, Rüegg said. The badge pictured in the tweet was created by emergency services personnel as a way of expressing "team spirit," Rüegg said. It debuted in 2006 and is redesigned every year.
We reached out to Kirk for comment but did not receive a reply.
Featured Fact-check
Similar claims were tweeted by others, including U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
The World Economic Forum is a common target of conspiracy theorists. One of its previous summit themes, called "The Great Reset," in recent years prompted hundreds of thousands of posts on social media claiming that "the global elite were planning to use the coronavirus to bring about total economic collapse," CNBC reported.
The World Economic Forum does not have its own police force, and we rate those claims False.
RELATED: No, Jack Posobiec was not arrested or detained in Davos
Our Sources
CNBC, "How Davos became a target for conspiracy theorists and anarchists," May 23, 2022
Email interview, Roman Rüegg, spokesperson, cantonal police of Grisons, June 2, 2022
PolitiFact, "Charlie Kirk," accessed June 2, 2022
Twitter post, May 23, 2022
Twitter post, May 23, 2022
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Monique Curet
World Economic Forum does not have its own police force
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.