BRUSSELS — A group accused of being pro-Russian and promoting pseudoscience and conspiracy theories involving aliens was given the green light to hold an event in the European Parliament in Brussels.
When complaints were raised about the controversial organization being on Parliament premises, the body that deals with administration said there were “no sufficient grounds to conduct an investigation.”
The AllatRa Global Research Center held an event in the Parliament in February on the dangers of nanoplastics, alongside far-right Czech MEP Ondřej Knotek of the Patriots group.
AllatRa describes itself as an “international research think tank focused on planetary risks, systemic environmental challenges, and human rights and freedoms.”
However, others see things differently. The Global Research Center is linked to the AllatRa religious movement, which was founded in Ukraine and is now based in the United States. Ukraine’s security services have accused it of “[justifying] Russia’s armed aggression” and say it “publicly promoted the Kremlin’s narratives … under the guise of ‘missionary work’.”
AllatRa’s founding texts say that alien beings have long influenced human life.
The Novaya Gazeta Europa outlet reported that the group claims all Slavic peoples “will unite in the future, mostly thanks to a wizardly saviour, a man whose description resembles Vladimir Putin.” Investigative outfit VSquare wrote that the group, as well as its offshoot, the Creative Society, denies that human activity is the primary cause of global warming — and also that the world will end in 2036.
AllatRa co-founder, Igor Danilov, a Ukrainian chiropractor, has been under investigation by police in the country on suspicion of “committing high treason, participating in a criminal organization and undermining national security.”
Danilov did not reply to a request for comment, but AllatRa said it “categorically rejects” allegations that it is pro-Russian “or linked to Russian disinformation ecosystems,” and added that it “condemns the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.”
A spokesperson said that “in Russia itself, AllatRa has been declared an ‘undesirable’ and later an ‘extremist’ organisation,” and pointed to a Kyiv court ruling this year which upheld a decision refusing to ban the group. “The court found that no proper and admissible evidence had been provided of anti-Ukrainian or pro-Russian activity, or of any other lawful grounds for prohibition,” the spokesperson continued.
It didn’t respond directly to a question about belief in aliens but said: “Claims of ‘pseudoscience’ or ‘conspiracy theories’ … do not reflect AllatRa’s official position or activities.”
Reputational risk?
The controversial nature of AllatRa prompted two Czech MEPs from the European People’s Party — Danuše Nerudová and Jan Farský — as well as Slovakian lawmaker Martin Hojsík, from the liberal Renew group, to complain about its presence in the Parliament, according to the minutes of an internal Parliament administrative meeting, seen by POLITICO’s EU Influence newsletter.
The three lawmakers said that AllatRa has been “repeatedly identified as an organisation with pro-Russian narratives and links to disinformation ecosystems associated with Russia.”
They argued that allowing the group to host events poses a “reputation risk” for the Parliament and said it could lend “institutional legitimacy to organisations associated with foreign influence or disinformation activities.”
“AllatRa is a sect that is penetrating political and security structures in Europe,” said Hojsík. He added that it was “aiming to harass and get prosecution of people looking into what they are doing.”
Responding to Hojsík’s claims, the AllatRa spokesperson said: “Exercising the right to protect one’s reputation and to correct inaccurate information does not constitute harassment.”
Lawmakers and political groups are allowed to co-host events with private companies and individuals on the premises. They have specific budget lines they can use for it, and they can request interpretation and a room from the Parliament’s logistics department.
Other guests at the event included American pastor Mark Burns, chairman of the Spiritual Diplomats initiative and spiritual adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, whom AllatRa described as a “globally recognized Christian leader and international speaker.”
But the quaestors — the group of MEPs that deal with administrative and financial matters — found that there were “no sufficient grounds to conduct an investigation” into the event. According to the internal parliamentary minutes, they found there were no “conclusive and unequivocal elements regarding the complainants’ claims on alleged pro-Russian narratives and links to disinformation ecosystems associated with Russia.”
Hojsík also complained to Influence about AllatRa Global Research Center’s presence in the European Transparency Register — an online EU database of organizations and individuals that seek to influence lawmaking. Being on the register gives you easier access to the EU institutions (although the group is not listed as having met any MEPs).
A European Parliament spokesperson said that a letter to the register’s secretariat, “aimed at informing it” about the complaint and the information about AllatRa gathered by Parliament’s services, “is currently being finalised.”
Max Griera contributed to this article.
EU Parliament hosted event by group accused of being a pro-Russian sect that believes aliens walk among us
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