Did Hungarian immigrants to Scotland create the first whisky in the early 18th century? No, that's not true: The first direct evidence of whisky production is found in a collection of ancient Irish chronicles, which recounts events in Ireland from prehistory to 1408. The author of the original post sharing the claim, which was published on Facebook, confirmed that it…

Az Európai Unió tényleg finanszíroz egy doktori szakdolgozatot, amely az Oromó etiópiai népcsoport mitológiájában szereplő szörnyek szexualitására fókuszál, miközben megtagadja a magyar diákok kutatásainak támogatását? Nem, ez nem igaz: az érintett PhD hallgató elmondta a Lead Storiesnak, hogy nem az EU, hanem egy belga-etióp ösztöndíjprogram finanszírozza disszertációját, amely nem az afrikai szörnyek „szexualitására" összpontosít. Internetes keresések alátámasztják nyilatkozatát, nem találnak…

Are Germans singing in the streets to welcome "hitherto unseen" numbers of migrants, even though the number of crimes committed by migrants in Germany has soared by 72 percent since 2021? No, that's not true: The video with the claim shows Germans giving immigrants a choral reception, but it dates from 2015 when Germany was taking in unprecedented numbers of…

Will cash users face penalties on public transport starting in summer 2024? No, that's not true: The Hungarian government aims to introduce a cash-free system on board vehicles, but the details are not clear yet. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok on January 18, 2024, under the title, translated from Hungarian into English by Lead…

Did Gaspar Orban, son of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, die of a drug overdose in Marbella, Spain, in early January 2024? No, that's not true: The Ministry of Defense confirmed that Gaspar Orban is alive, currently serving in the Hungarian army, and preparing for a mission in Africa. The claim appeared in a TikTok video no longer available but…

Did Katalin Cseh and Anna Donáth, the two members of the European Parliament from the Hungarian Momentum party manage to expel Hungary from the Erasmus Programme? No, that's not true: The European Union ceased to support the Erasmus grants of Hungarian students and researchers after an EU Council decision in December 2022. The claim appeared in a video (archived here)…

Is the World Economic Forum (WEF) planning to force people to observe "personal carbon allowances," legally restricting the amount of carbon emissions that individuals might generate during their daily activities? No, that's not true: The claim misrepresents an opinion piece that appeared on the WEF's website in 2022. The article proposes creating incentives for people to monitor their behavior vis-à-vis…

Do 99 percent of Hungarians refuse the creation of "migrant ghettos" in Hungary and oppose weapon shipments to Ukraine? No, that's not true: The data source is a recent national consultation, which was only answered by 1.5 million out of 8.2 million Hungarian voters. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on January 25, 2024, under the…

Does Ukraine forbid ethnic-Hungarian students in its Transcarpathia region to speak Hungarian at school, even amongst themselves? No, that's not true: The claim misrepresents guidance that Ukraine's education minister sent out to school administrators in October 2023. The minister mandated that Ukrainian be the sole language of school instruction, but specifically exempted institutions where classes are taught in ethnic-minority languages.…

Is "Disease X" a mysterious virus deadlier than COVID-19 and kept a secret from the general public? No, that's not true: Disease X is a term used by the World Health Organization to describe a hypothetical virus that is presently unknown, serving as a strategy for preparedness in the event of a global emergency like a pandemic. The claim appeared…