Viral video is a simulation, does not depict a real grand jury proceeding

Reiner Fuellmich, a German attorney who is no stranger to COVID-19 misinformation, appears in a new video that gives the false impression it’s a legal proceeding related to the pandemic.

The headline on the Feb. 6 video says, "A grand jury trial begins into crimes against humanity." In the footage, Fuellmich calls the COVID-19 pandemic a fabricated "plandemic." The video was published on Bitchute, a video platform likened to a right-wing alternative to YouTube and known for hosting hate speech and conspiracy theories.

The video was shared on Facebook and flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

The video does not depict actual legal proceedings. Fuellmich said on social media on Feb. 5 that it is a "grand jury proceeding by the Peoples’ Court of Public Opinion," and that it is only modeled on grand jury proceedings.

Fuellmich gained notoriety for filing pandemic-related lawsuits in New York state, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa against politicians, scientists and others, Vice reported.

"His followers believe these trials will carry global historical significance, so much so that they’ve become known as ‘Nuremberg 2.0,’" a reference to the Nuremberg trials, according to Vice.

The Nuremberg Code is a post-World War II treaty which includes the principle that humans should not be involuntarily subjected to medical experiments. It has been regularly cited in pandemic misinformation, including in debunked claims that COVID-19 vaccinations are a violation of the code, and that the leader of the European Union wanted to throw out the code.

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Fuellmich’s lawsuits have not been "accepted" by courts, despite many false claims saying otherwise. Vice reported that it can take months or years before the lawsuits are dismissed or thrown out.

In the Bitchute video, Fuellmich also said, "There is no corona pandemic, only a PCR test plandemic."

The notion that the coronavirus pandemic is fabricated is part of an effort to deny or downplay the virus that was so significant that PolitiFact chose it as its 2020 Lie of the Year. "Plandemic" is a reference to a 2020 documentary-style video that was filled with false conspiracy theories about the coronavirus.

A video shared on Facebook has a headline that says, "A grand jury trial begins into crimes against humanity," and in the footage, Fuellmich calls the COVID-19 pandemic a fabricated "plandemic."

The video does not depict actual legal proceedings. Fuellmich said it is a "grand jury proceeding by the Peoples’ Court of Public Opinion," and that it is only modeled on grand jury proceedings.

Fuellmich has filed several pandemic-related lawsuits against scientists and politicians, but the lawsuits have not been accepted by courts.

The notion that the coronavirus pandemic is fabricated is part of an effort to deny or downplay the virus and is unsubstantiated.

We rate this claim Pants on Fire!