Did Pfizer mutate the COVID-19 virus so that they could produce and sell vaccines? No, that's not true: Pfizer denied the claim and there is no credible evidence to prove it. The claim appeared in a video on TikTok, published on February 9, 2023, by the account @pstv_official2/ (archived here). The video shows Zsolt Jeszenszky, a Hungarian conservative pundit and…

Did French authorities decline to prosecute Dahbia Benkired, an undocumented migrant suspected of murdering 12-year-old Lola Daviet in October 2022, and simply send her back to her native Algeria instead? No, that's not true: Police arrested Benkired and sent her to pre-trial custody, where she remained at the time of writing. In December 2022, French authorities expelled Benkired's sister, Friha,…

Az Európai Unió azért függesztette fel a Magyarországnak járó támogatásokat, mert Magyarország nem hajlandó migránsokat befogadni? Nem, ez nem igaz: az Európai Bizottság és a Tanács főként a jogállamisággal kapcsolatos problémák miatt indított eljárásokat az ország ellen, aminek keretében forrásokat fagyasztottak be. Az állítás egy videóban (archiválva itt) jelent meg a TikTokon 2023. május 18-án a "Ha nem fogadunk be…

Are global elites plotting to implant microchips in people's brains that will allow these elites to control human thoughts via fifth-generation cellular technology (5G)? No, that's not true: Human skin blocks radio waves at the high frequencies used in 5G transmissions, shielding internal organs from adverse effects, scientists say. And while medical-technology companies have won regulatory approval for human trials…

Did World Economic Forum (WEF) chairman Klaus Schwab don a ceremonial robe bearing symbols of the Baha'i faith and an ancient Canaanite cult, betraying his support for mass murder? No, that's not true: The image on social media shows Schwab wearing the academic regalia of the Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), a Lithuanian institution that awarded him an honorary doctorate…

Did a EU Council abuse its powers and decide that member states will have to pay a fine if they don't accept migrants? No, that's not true: The EU's Justice and Home Affairs Council agreed to recommend a new solidarity mechanism to be considered by the Council Presidency and the EU Parliament which would allow for the voluntary relocation of…

Did EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen suggest Ukraine stop the delivery of oil from Russia to Hungary by way of the Druzhba pipeline? No, that's not true: According to the European Commission, Von der Leyen never suggested anything to anyone regarding the Druzhba pipeline. The claim first appeared in a Hungarian pro-government publication, Magyar Nemzet on May 17…

Does the U.S. military occupy more territory in Syria than Russia controls In Ukraine? No, that's not true: The combined territories controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Free Army (SFA), two local Kurdish and Arab militias supported by Washington, are not nearly as big as the territory the Russians control in Ukraine. The claim appeared in…

Are the student protests organized by a left wing background person, Zoltan Somogyi, who met Lili Pankotai, a well-known protester, in a bistro in Budapest to give her a briefing? No, that's not true: Somogyi met a part of Lili Pankotai's high school class to have a burger together, as he invited them for a school trip to Budapest. A…

Did Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony drive his city to near-bankruptcy through profligate spending, and is he blaming his predecessor, István Tarlós, for the predicament? No, there is no evidence provided that supports this claim: Karácsony and his team acknowledge that Tarlós left Budapest with substantial monetary reserves, and primarily blame austerity measures imposed by the national government for sapping the…

Did U.S. President Joe Biden propose to pay English teachers $500,000 to educate students about transgenderism in Pakistan, in violation of Pakistani law? No, that's not true: This claim misconstrues a U.S. State Department grant aimed at funding English teaching programs in Pakistan. Moreover, transgenderism is not against the law in Pakistan - it's a legally protected attribute. The claim…

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy call Hungarians disgusting and irritating? No, that's not true: While Zelenskyy has publicly butted heads with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, there is no record of him maligning the Hungarian nation in this manner. The claim appeared in a Hungarian-language video (archived here) on TikTok on May 20, 2023. The text, translated by Lead Stories…

Did Prime Minister Viktor Orban say on public radio that he hoped to reclaim a part of Ukraine for Hungary? No, that's not true: Orban did not claim any territory for Hungary. In the interview, he said a part of Ukraine is an ancient Hungarian land that now belongs to Ukraine. The fabricated quote appeared in a video on TikTok…

Do mRNA vaccines given to livestock get passed on to humans who eat their meat? No, that's not true: There are no commercial mRNA vaccines for animals, a virology expert told Lead Stories. Even if there were, there is no way the vaccines could be transferred to humans through digestion: The mRNA would be destroyed during the cooking process or…

Will nine member states of European Union abolish Hungary's independent foreign and security policy? No, that's not true: A recently formed group of EU member states wants to change the way of decision making concerning EU's common Foreign and Security Policy. The current unanimity principle should be replaced by the application of qualified majority. The claim originates from an interview…

Are recent protests in Budapest pro-war demonstrations aimed at dragging Hungary into the war in Ukraine? No, that's not true: students and teachers are protesting a new education law. The claim appeared in a few Tiktok videos by creators belonging to the Megafon Center, a company that produces social-media videos in support of Hungary's governing Fidesz party. One of the…

Does Ukraine terrorize its ethnic-Hungarian minority in the Transcarpathia region? No, that's not true: A video making this claim shows footage from a 2019 television documentary that depicted anti-Hungarian agitation by fringe Ukrainian extremists, not the state. These events occurred in 2018, before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took power, and the radicals do not occupy significant positions of national or…

Is U.S. billionaire George Soros financing a Hungarian left-wing effort to "drag the country" into the Russo-Ukrainian War? No, there is no evidence to support this claim: While a civic group that supports Hungary's left-of-center opposition has accepted donations from sources outside Hungary, there is no proof the money came from Soros. Moreover, there is no evidence that any opposition…

Did saboteurs deliberately sink the Titanic in order to kill off three elite U.S. passengers -- John Jacob Astor IV, Benjamin Guggenheim, and Isidor Straus -- because they were trying to block the creation of the U.S. Federal Reserve System? No, there is no evidence to support this conspiracy theory. None of these three men are known to have opposed…

Did Ukrainian forces use U.S. made tanks in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine prior to Russia's 2022 invasion? No, that's not true: While Ukrainian forces have been battling Russia-backed separatists in Donetsk since 2014, there is no evidence that U.S. tanks were present in Ukraine, let alone deployed to the battlefield prior to 2022. Tanks pledged by the U.S.…