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 in 2017. The symbols on his vestments come from KTU's coat of arms and have nothing to do with any religion.
The claim, which has been circulating online since at least 2021, reappeared in a Hungarian-language video (archived here) on TikTok on May 11, 2023, under the title, "The human race is stupid as it is." The opening frame shows a still photo of Schwab speaking at a rostrum in his raiment. The voiceover, translated by Lead Stories, says:
Do you notice the symbols? First, here is a nine-pointed star, which is the symbol of the Baha'i religion. According to its founder, the Baha'i religion's main tenet is that all humanity belongs to a single race, and the time has come for it to unite in a global society. "World Proletarians Unite!" Does that sound familiar? This is exactly what the Soviet Communists believed in, and this is exactly what Klaus Schwab promotes... Then, here is this weird bull symbol, which is probably an ancient Canaanite deity that symbolizes human sacrifice.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Mon May 29 13:08:46 2023 UTC)
The video goes on to accuse Schwab of complicity in a plot to brainwash humanity through mass media. This fact check will focus on the claim surrounding the emblems on Schwab's robe.
The photo of Schwab originally appeared on KTU's website on October 16, 2017. The nine-pointed star on his regalia matches the icon in the upper-right corner of KTU's coat of arms, which is intended to represent "the light of science," the university's homepage says.
A nine-pointed star is also a symbol of the Baha'i faith, a new-age religion founded in Persia (present-day Iran) in 1844 -- but it does not resemble the celestial image that KTU uses. Baha'i doctrine does not support Soviet communism, as the TikTok video claims -- indeed, the religion's official website condemns communism as one of "the chief idols in the desecrated temple of mankind" that is responsible for "slaughtered multitudes."
Nor is there any evidence the WEF supports Soviet-style dictatorship. The Swiss public-policy group promotes "stakeholder capitalism," which it defines as "a form of capitalism in which companies seek long-term value creation by taking into account the needs of all their stakeholders, and society at large."
The bull with a Christian cross between its horns, which occupies the upper-left corner of KTU's coat of arms, is the symbol of the city of Kaunas, the university's hometown. There is no evidence it has anything to do with Moloch, an ancient Canaanite deity associated with child sacrifice. Moreover, Moloch, who was idolized as a bull in pre-Christian times, was not known for any penchant for crosses.
Additional Lead Stories fact checks of claims about Klaus Schwab and the WEF can be found here.
