The European Organization for Nuclear Research — CERN — is an intergovernmental organisation located near Geneva, Switzerland, and operates the world’s largest particle physics laboratory. It gained media attention when researchers at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) discovered the Higgs boson, also known as the “God particle”. The European Commission’s annual flagship research and innovation event brings together policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and the public to discuss and shape the future of research and innovation. The fifth edition of this event was held on March 20 and 21, 2024, in Brussels.
Against the backdrop, a video is being widely circulated on social media claiming that this is the opening ceremony of CERN, featuring participants engaging in what appears to be a dance performance.
The video is shared on Facebook with a caption: “The CERN opening ceremony was so demonic. Why would they perform a “bride of Baphomet” séance while opening a scientific lab machine that tries to recreate the “God particle”? I’m sure these people have humanity’s best interest in mind as they plan to relaunch on Monday.” from @LaurenWitzkeDE”
Here’s the link to the viral post. Check the archive link here.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim, and found it to be FALSE.
Running the video keyframes through Reverse Image Search, the NM team identified a YouTube video uploaded by Daily Mail, dated March 14, 2018, with a caption: “An abstract performance to celebrate the opening of Switzerland’s rail. The viral video can be viewed starting from the 01:25 mark in the video.”
According to the Daily Mail clip, “The Swiss have put on one of the most bizarre opening ceremonies in history to mark the completion of the world’s longest tunnel at a fairground in Erstfeld, in the north of the country. Famed for their trains, organisers roped in more than 600 dancers, acrobats and dramatic actors and even composed the new route’s very own theme tune as they pulled out all the stops for inauguration.”
Further investigation revealed multiple news reports from June 2016 about this event, including coverage by The Guardian and the BBC. According to these reports, the event commemorated the opening of the world’s longest rail tunnel, spanning 35 miles (57km) and providing the first low-level flat route through the Alps. The opening ceremony featured representations of various aspects of Swiss culture.
Thus, it is confirmed that an old unrelated video has been falsely shared as the opening ceremony of CERN.
