Do migrants in Croatia receive 20,000 euros, or $21,705, which is four times more than an average pensioner gets annually? No, that's not true: Minister of Internal Affairs Davor Božinović rejected the claims made by parliamentarians that Croatia should pay someone 20,000 euros for each migrant. The claim appeared in a video on TikTok on January 6, 2024. It began…

Will livestock farming on the island of Krk be destroyed by competition from the Redefine Meat Company, which produces plant-based meat-like products? No, that's not true: The Krški Pašnjaci association protested poor conditions for livestock farmers in Croatia on December 2, 2023. However, Redefine Meat was not mentioned as one of their concerns, nor were any other companies. The claim…

Is HDZ, the leading political party in Croatia, trying to cause a famine to eventually "populate Croatia with migrants"? No, that's not true: HDV is not trying to "starve Croatians to death"; it has implemented measures against the African swine fever outbreak, which has affected the country since June 26, 2023. Several documents, laws, and state and European Union-level orders…

Are Europe, the Croatian government and the media planning on emptying Slavonija, Baranja and the mountainous parts of Croatia to make room for migrants? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Croatian authorities are implementing a depopulation policy or that the country is being systematically emptied. Croatia has had a severe population decline for several years for various…

Was the bird flu outbreak planned by the "New World Order" and "globalists" as part of a "big reset" plot to kill healthy poultry in a bid to hurt independent Croatian farmers? No, that's not true: Food and animal health experts have told Lead Stories the claim is misinformation and is not based on credible facts. The claim originated from…

Are two of Croatia's most highly circulating daily newspapers, Večernji List and 24 SATA, owned by a Serbian media company, Adria Media Group? No, that's not true: The Croatian dailies are owned by the Austrian Styria Media Group. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok on December 12, 2023, with a caption translated into English from…

Is the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina part of the Republic of Croatia? No, that's not true: Vojvodina is an autonomous province in the northernmost part of the Republic of Serbia. Throughout much of history, Vojvodina and Croatia were joined under various rulers, including the Kingdom of Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia…

Is all media in Croatia held by the leading party HDZ (otherwise known as the Croatian Democratic Union)? No, that's not true: No media in Croatia is owned or in any way connected to the party. This claim originated after it was recently discovered that an adviser to the now-former Minister of Economy Davor Filipović, Jurica Lovrinčević, was having the…

Does a video show Serbian singer Aleksandra Prijović singing a Serbian nationalistic song called "Veseli se srpski rode" at a concert in Zagreb, Croatia? No, that's not true: The video footage is from one of her recent concerts in Belgrade, Serbia, not Zagreb, and the audio from the video has been edited. There is no record of Prijović singing that…

Does a video prove that NATO is planning on starting a war in Bosnia and Herzegovina? No, that's not true: The video is from the joint press conference by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg held in Sarajevo, on November 20, 2023. In the press conference, the Secretary-General stated that NATO has committed to Bosnia-Herzegovina for many years, and that they are…

Did Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković ban media coverage of former Minister of Defense Mario Banožić after he was involved in a fatal traffic accident? No, that's not true: Articles and reports on Banožić are being published daily in all Croatian news agencies and other media outlets. There is no evidence that Plenković issued any "ban" on reporting on Banožić…

Will Zagreb residents be put on a scoring system that will evaluate their CO₂ emissions and determine what food they can buy after a carbon currency system is put in place? No, that's not true: There is no mention of such a plan on the official website of the City of Zagreb, Croatia, and no credible media organization has reported…

Did Croatian politician and activist Ivan Pernar find "the son of Zagreb's mayor" in an elementary school? No, that's not true: Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević, and his wife, Iva Mertić Tomašević, have no children. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok by Pernar on September 28, 2023, under the title (translated from Croatian to English by Lead…

Did Israeli businessman and industrialist Amir Gross Kabiri declare the territory of Aluminij d.d. Mostar company, in Bosnia and Herzegovina part of the "State of Israel"? No, that's not true: Kabiri, CEO of Aluminij Industries, only posted on Instagram a picture of the Israeli flag on the premises of the Aluminij company in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a sign…

Are authorities in Zagreb evicting Croatian citizens in order to turn over their apartments to migrants? No, that's not true: City officials do not have the authority to evict private property owners. The Croatian government can provide a migrant who is currently under international protection with a state-owned apartment only if it is not currently occupied. The claim appeared in…

Will former Croatian Minister of Defense Mario Banožić be sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison for causing a fatal car accident on November 11, 2023, due to negligence? No, that's not true: Banožić, who has now been removed from his duties, is still in the hospital in serious condition. An investigation led by the State Attorney's Office…

Is Sombor a city in the Republic of Croatia? No, that's not true: Sombor is a city located in the northwestern Bačka district of the Vojvodina province in Serbia, close to the Serbia-Hungary border. During its history, Sombor has been part of the Kingdom of Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, has belonged to the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire, the Kingdom…

Was the referendum on the EU accession of the Republic of Croatia illegal? No, that's not true: The referendum conducted on January 22, 2012, that resulted in the Republic of Croatia joining the European Union, followed the Croatian Constitution and laws. The claim originated from a TikTok video (archived here) published on August 24, 2023, under the title: "A.P. THE…

Did the pop star Madonna predict the Hamas-Israel conflict four years before it began? No, that's not true: Madonna's 2019 Eurovision Song Contest performance made an apparent call for peace by showing embracing dancers wearing Israeli and Palestinian flags. It's not the first time that her controversial mid-show act has been linked to conspiracy theories. The claim appeared in a…

Did Kosovan and Albanian presidents say that Israel should keep on bombing "Palestine" and "hospitals in Palestine"? No, that's not true: Kosovan President Vjosa Osmani and Albanian President Bajram Begaj both expressed their support for Israel in the ongoing conflict with Hamas on October 7, 2023, but never called for violence. Lead Stories did not find any statements or reports…