NGOs as Enemies? Fact-Checking the Story about the "Destabilization" of Poland and Hungary

On April 3, 2025, the NEWS.BY YouTube channel published a video titled “European Union prepares color revolution in Hungary and Poland.” It stated:

The European Union is preparing a color revolution in Hungary and Poland to destabilize the situation. Brussels has allocated 80 million euros. This was reported by European Parliament MP from the Law and Justice party, Dominik Tarczyński. He refers to a report by the Hungarian academic center MCC Brussels and an investigation by Italian journalist Thomas Fazi. These sources suggest that money from EU funds is going to finance opposition movements, NGOs, and media to undermine the governments in Warsaw and Budapest. Tarczyński adds that all this is because these two countries dared to challenge the Brussels elite. He cited the freezing of payments to Poland and Hungary as part of the pressure. And now, allegedly, Brussels has moved to more sophisticated methods and called it a hybrid war against national interests.

Our verdict based on the conducted analyses:

Verdict: Incorrect

Reasons:

• The thesis or statement is completely false: information from several sources or opinions of several experts in a specific field contradict it.
• The cause-and-effect relationships and connections clearly do not exist as claimed.
• When quoting, substantial parts are omitted, rearranged, changed, or incorrectly translated from a foreign language, resulting in a fundamental change in the meaning of what was said.
• The event occurred in substantially different aspects than claimed.

Rating scale verification

Full video:

FIMI analysis: signs of Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference

Fact-checking key statements
1. “EU allocated 80 million euros for a color revolution in Poland and Hungary”

• ❌ Fact-checking:

  • There is no official data confirming the existence of targeted funding “to destabilize the situation” or for a “color revolution.”

  • EU funds are allocated for the development of civil society, media, and education, especially within programs supporting democracy and human rights, including within EU member states themselves.

• 🔍 Source:

  • Dominik Tarczyński indeed made harsh statements, referring to interpretations by the Hungarian center MCC Brussels and columnist Thomas Fazi. However:

    • MCC Brussels is an unofficial analytical center with a politicized reputation (connected to the ruling Fidesz party).

    • Thomas Fazi is a publicist often accused of promoting conspiracy theories.

2. “Brussels uses NGOs and media for destabilization”

• ❌ Manipulation:

  • Support for NGOs, independent media, and EU projects is a standard practice that operates in all EU countries, including Poland and Hungary.

  • There is no evidence that the funding is related to preparation for protests or an attempt to change governments.

• 📌 FIMI technique:

  • Disinformation via framing — any funding is interpreted as a subversive element.

  • Use of pseudo-experts — references to Fazi and MCC Brussels without checking methodology.

3. “This is EU’s hybrid war against nation states”

• ❌ Conspiracy:

  • “Hybrid war” is used here as an emotional and propagandistic label.

  • Such statements are widely used in anti-Western rhetoric of Russia and Belarus — for example, regarding Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova.

• 📌 FIMI technique:

  • Mirror Blaming — the EU is accused of the same actions that authoritarian regimes are more often accused of (interference, manipulation, undermining sovereignty).

Comparison with typical FIMI presentation

Now let’s perform an analysis of disinformation narratives and semantic analysis: