Is the Czech government preparing measures to allow it to seize money from indviduals' accounts, if they cannot prove its origin? No, that's not true: the Czech government is not planing to seize money from individuals' accounts, but it is in the process of devising measures to combat illicit financial flows. The government has tasked the justice minister with drafting…

Is the Czech Republic an illegitimate state that operates like a corporate organization rather than a democracy? No, that's not true: Such claims are based on a conspiracy theory, linked to the Sovereign Citizen Movement, that began in the U.S. and spread to other countries, including the Czech Republic. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok…

Did former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson perform a Nazi salute during an event at Ukraine's Lviv University? No, that's not true: A photo showing Johnson with an arm raised in a Nazi salute is digitally altered and was intended as satire. It has been propagated across social media by anti-Ukraine proponents who claim it is real. The original photo…

Does Germany owe the Czech Republic for unpaid war reparations? No, the Czech Republic and Germany agreed to close the issue of WWII reparations in 1997, when both countries agreed not to burden their relationship with political and legal issues from the past. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published by TikTok on September 8…

Can the death penalty be imposed in the European Union in case of riots and uprisings? No, that's not true: The abolition of the death penalty is a prerequisite for EU membership. A statement published on July 8, 2020, reaffirms the EU's "strong and unequivocal opposition to the use of the death penalty at all times and under all circumstances.…

Did the government stage an incident in which Czech men are accused of randomly attacking two Ukrainian women on the streets? No, that's not true: The police caught one of the attackers shortly after the incident and put him in custody. Also, there is no evidence that one of the victims allegedly "made a miraculous recovery," as claimed in posts…

Are ballot boxes left unattended in unsecured locations at night during the two-day Czech election period, making it easy for votes to be manipulated? No, that's not true: the ballot boxes and polling station rooms are sealed overnight to prevent easy access and ballot tampering. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) which was published by TikTok on September…

Was the public hypnotized in order to accept COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true: Psychologists say there is no such thing as "mass formation psychosis," which, according to a claim circulating on social media, would have induced people to blindly follow COVID-19 measures. The alleged theory according to which masses have been hypnotized in order to receive COVID jabs during…

Were the Maui wildfires deliberately planned by a group of global elites who want to establish and consolidate power over the world? No, that's not true: Maui officials have told the media that claims that the fire was intentionally set are unfounded and that the investigation of how the disaster started is still ongoing. The claim appeared in a video…

Are most of the Ukrainian war refugees seeking temporary protection in the Czech Republic men who might be fit for battle? No, that's not true: As of April 1, 2023 more than three quarters of Ukrainian refugees in the country were women, children, and senior citizens. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published on TikTok…

Did Meta remove a Czech freelance reporter's Facebook post and delete her profile because she wrote that Kyiv is a normal functioning city? No, that's not true: the journalists removed the post where she described everyday life in Kyiv and her journey to Ukraine, saying she had received abusive threats from social media users. The claim appeared in a video…

Did the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirm that graphene oxide is in "fake COVID" mRNA vaccines after being forced to disclose confidential Pfizer documents under a U.S. federal court order? No, that's not true: Graphene oxide is not among the ingredients in the COVID vaccine. The FDA did not confirm graphene oxide is one of the ingredients, saying in…

Do Ukrainian refugees receive more in social benefits from the state than Czech citizens? No, that's not true: the video uses incorrect and outdated data to prove that Ukrainians get more from the state than locals. The claim originated in a video (archived here) where it was published by TikTok on July 28, 2023, with hashtags in Czech translated by…

Does an unusually cold and rainy spell in central Europe in early August mean that climate change is a hoax? No, that's not true: weather and climate are not the same things, and heavier precipitation, harsher winters, and other weather anomalies, happen in a warming world. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published by TikTok…

Is the Ukrainian mafia kidnapping Roma and other children for organ harvesting in the Czech Republic? No, that's not true: Czech police have no evidence of children being abducted by Ukrainians. The claim that there have been cases of child abduction appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published on TikTok on July 19, 2023, with captions in…

Is Kosovo part of Serbia? No, that's not true: Kosovo, a former province of Serbia, declared independence in 2008 and is recognized as a sovereign state by key European nations, as well as the United States and other countries, despite Serbia´s rejection of the move. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on July 25, 2023, with…

Is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a British secret service agent? No, that's not true: No reputable media has reported on Zelenskyy's elevation to any position within the MI6. A search for the phrase "Volodymyr Zelensky is an Mi6 agent," using Google News' index of thousands of credible news sites, did not reveal any factual reports that he works for the…

Does the Czech government "care more about foreigners than its own people" because it did not provide special government planes to evacuate Czech tourists stranded in Rhodes as a consequence of the wildfires that hit the Greek island? No, that's not true: The Czech Foreign Ministry sent several consulate officials to help Czech tourists leave Rhodes, and the government organized…

Are people with Rhesus negative blood type descendants of aliens? No, that's not true: Rhesus negative blood appears in about 7 percent of the entire global population. The story appeared in a TikTok video (archived here) by @verteneverte on July 1, 2023, under the title (translated into English by Lead Stories staff) "Are humans descended from aliens? Let's look at…

Is the Czech Republic racist, xenophobic country that discriminates against minorities and women and restricts media? No, that's not true: The Eastern European nation consistently ranks high in different indexes that monitor the personal freedoms of citizens and the state of human rights worldwide. The claim was used in a video (archived here) published on TikTok on July 26 with…