The MP of the Vetëvendosje Movement (LVV), Artan Abrashi, on his Facebook profile, has published a document in Serbian, bearing the seal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Serbia and the so-called Police Workers' Union, and has added that the Serbian state is being mobilized after that of Russia. (here)
Abrashi's claims have been reported in several Albanian-language media outlets. (here, here and here)
In the statement that MP Abrashi publishes and which bears the seal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the so-called Police Workers' Union, a call is made that "on the occasion of the global events, which are expected to occur on September 24, 2022, there should be no fear and panic because everything will end well"Further in this document it is stated that “"Everyone has to go through this period, especially those who have not understood the truth and what they have believed (in the media and politicians). And it is not just about Serbia, but about all countries. Special prayers to all members of the army to be in their barracks and to members of the police to be near important facilities." (here)
The document distributed by the Police Workers Union, known for its anti-vaccination narratives, (here) is related to a warning about the end of the world and the mobilization that must be made, which MP Abrashi sees as military mobilization for war.
However, the warning about the end of the world in September of this year is linked to part of a speech by Friedrich Mertz, the leader of Germany’s largest opposition party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), on February 27. In his 20-minute speech in the German Bundestag, Merz referred to an event “to remember that no one will forget, namely the day when Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine – February 24, 2022.” (here)
The German politician, during his speech, switched the months, instead of “February 24” he mistakenly pronounced “September 24”. This small omission by Friedrich Mertz became the main cause of a new global conspiracy theory and misinformation about the “end of the world”, an ominous warning.
The fact that it was an unintentional mistake is also confirmed by the official minutes from the aforementioned meeting of the German Bundestag. The transcript states the corrected date, “February 24, 2022”, not September 24. Photo 1 (here)
Albanian translation of the controversial part of Mertz's address:
Friedrich Mertz (CDU/CSU): Madam President! Ladies and gentlemen! Dear colleague! This February 24, 2022 has become a day that will remain in our memories forever, a day about which we will say tomorrow: I remember exactly where I was when I first heard the news about the war in Ukraine and saw the first photos from the battlefield. – We console the families of the victims who lost their lives in such large numbers – including the civilian population. We admire the courage and will of these people to fight for their freedom.
A spokesman for the German Christian Democratic Union also confirmed that Mr Mertz was clearly referring to February 24, the day the Russian invasion of Ukraine began – meaning that the use of the word September in his address was an unintentional mistake.
The video in which Mertz announces the date of the alleged disaster has gone viral in a large number of countries, including Serbia, where it was first shared out of context on TikTok, and then on Twitter, Facebook and Telegram.
In Serbia, Mertz's release was shared with the announcement of the “Police Employees Union”, known for its anti-vaccination narratives, previously published on its Facebook page on September 20. On the same day, the Police Employees Union also published a viral video of Mertz's speech taken from the Telegram channel Istina. (here, here)
Analyze:
The Vetëvendosej Movement MP has distributed a document published by the "Police Employees' Union", interpreting it as Serbia's mobilization following that of Russia.
The document published by the Union in question is related to a conspiracy theory stemming from an omission made by German politician Friedrich Mertz during a speech in the Bundestag, where he said that no one will forget the day Russia attacked Ukraine, and instead of "February 24", he mistakenly pronounced "September 24".
After verifying the facts, hibrid.info considers that the claims made by MP Abrashi are unfounded and are considered "misinformation".
Rating:
A “Disinformation” rating is given to media reporting that contains a “mix” of inaccurate sources or even half-truthful content. This rating will also address reports that have incorrect attributions or headlines that do not reflect the text in terms of information accuracy.