On November 2, a Russian-speaking Facebook user shared a video showing two men holding the Slovak flag. One of them pours water on the individuals standing in front of them, who are holding the Ukrainian flag. The footage also shows an unidentified person snatching the Ukrainian flag from those individuals. The video description claims that the footage depicts an incident that took place in the European Parliament.
The video showing water being poured on the Ukrainian flag is being shared manipulatively and with a false description. In reality, the incident occurred on February 8 in the Slovak parliament, where representatives of the opposition confronted MPs from the ruling coalition.
The video posted on Facebook was filmed in the Slovak Parliament on February 8, 2022. The parliamentary session was held to discuss a defense cooperation agreement (DCA) between the United States of America and Slovakia. Under the agreement, U.S. armed forces would be allowed to use two Slovak military airfields for the next 10 years, and in return, the USA would allocate $100 million for their modernization.
Opponents of the agreement argued that ratifying such a document would threaten Slovakia’s sovereignty, create a risk of a permanent U.S. military presence in the country, and could even lead to the deployment of nuclear weapons on Slovak territory. The government maintained that, against the backdrop of increasing Russian aggression, strengthening countermeasures and concluding bilateral agreements with strategic partners would provide an important guarantee of the country’s future security.
During the debate, MPs from the far-right People’s Party Our Slovakia (ĽSNS), Peter Krupa and Andrej Medvecký, unfolded the Slovak flag behind the speaker’s desk. In response, MPs from the ruling Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) coalition, Jana Bittó Cigániková and Miroslav Žiak, unfolded the Ukrainian flag in front of them. ĽSNS MP Andrej Medvecký then poured water on the Ukrainian flag and on Miroslav Žiak. Seconds later, another ĽSNS MP snatched the Ukrainian flag from the hands of Cigániková and Žiak.
Therefore, the video has no connection to the European Parliament; it was filmed on February 8, 2022, in the Slovak Parliament.
Prepared by Cecily Adamia
“Myth Detector” Lab
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