Did European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen say that Israel has the right to defend itself even by cutting off water and electricity in the Gaza Strip? No, that's not true: She supports the right of Israel to defend itself but with full respect of international humanitarian law. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok by…

Are most Israelis descendants of the Khazars, who established a medieval empire that ruled much of modern-day Ukraine, thus undermining their ancestral claim to the Holy Land? No, that's not true: Geneticists and historians have investigated this theory, long accepted as fact by many, and turned up no evidence to support it. The claim appeared in a Hungarian-language video (archived…

Did Sweden's public broadcaster misrepresent footage of Hungarian political activist Márton Gulyás, falsely claiming it showed him being assaulted by Hungarian government supporters? No, that's not true: The 2019 news report showed no scenes of Gulyás getting roughed up by anyone. The claim appeared in a Hungarian-language video (archived here) on TikTok on October 2, 2023, under the title (translated…

Did Muslim men film themselves smashing a statue of the Virgin Mary in Europe, betraying their plan to "invade" the continent? No, that's not true: The clip was shot near the city of Idlib, Syria, in 2013 by members of the Nusra Front, a jihadist group struggling to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to Arabic-language media. Idlib was home…

Did "Palestinian terrorists" carry out five attacks that killed hundreds of people in France, Belgium and Germany? No, that's not true: The perpetrators were of Arab origin but were not Palestinians. All have been linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an Islamic extremist group that is not the same as Hamas, the Palestinian political party…

Did President Joe Biden leave Israel just two hours before the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023? No, that's not true: White House press releases prove he was in Washington, D.C. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok published by @tomika2121 on October 9, 2023, under the title (translated from Hungarian into English by Lead Stories staff):…

Did Pál Veres, mayor of Hungary's fourth-largest city, Miskolc, say public transportation "is not my job?" No, that's not true: His quote was edited. Veres was admonishing members of the Miskolc City Council who have no experience in urban mobility matters to defer to experts' opinions on revamping the city's mass-transit network. The claim appeared in a Hungarian-language video (archived…

Will the World Health Organization (WHO)'s draft pandemic treaty give it the power to dictate how Hungary responds to future outbreaks of disease? No, that's not true: Nothing in the draft says Hungary or any other signatory state will lose the authority to formulate its own pandemic-response policies. In fact, it affirms that national governments will retain full control over…

Is Hungary's government planning to bring in 500,000 migrant workers to fill industrial jobs that it expects to create in the coming years, "replacing" Hungarian laborers? No, that's not true: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, an anti-immigrant firebrand, said his administration will give priority to workers from Hungary and neighboring countries with sizable ethnic-Hungarian populations. Guest workers will be hired as…

Have more Hungarian citizens moved home from abroad than have emigrated since 2016? No, that's not true: The misleading claim includes the number of ethnic Hungarians born in neighboring countries who obtained residence in Hungary in order to vote or access other benefits, but may not have physically lived there, a former head of Hungary's Central Statistical Office (KSH) told…

Are Hungarian teachers resigning en masse due to the new "status law," which alters the conditions of their employment? No, that's not true: While Hungary is struggling with a shortage of teachers, it is too early to tell if the law is responsible. A government minister said around 500 teachers had left their jobs as of July 27, 2023, adding…

Did Péter Márki-Zay, the Hungarian opposition's joint candidate for prime minister in 2022, say Hungarians 'need to feel' the soaring energy prices that hit Europe after Russia attacked Ukraine? No, that's not true: The claim is based on an out-of-date statement Márki-Zay made in October 2021, more than four months before the fallout from Russia's invasion sent European energy prices…

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin say the Romanian region of Transylvania should be annexed to Hungary? No, that's not true: The claim distorts a statement Putin made in a 2016 interview with Bloomberg News. Putin actually disparaged the idea of redrawing Europe's borders and did not even mention Transylvania. The claim appeared in a Hungarian-language video (archived here) posted on…

Minden idők csúcsát, 12 százalékot érte el a magyar munkanélküliség 2010-ben, a Magyar Szocialista Párt (MSZP) kormányzása alatt? Nem, ez nem igaz: 1989 óta, amikor a kommunizmus összeomlott az egyetemes foglalkoztatás alkotmányos garanciájával együtt, Magyarországon 1993-ban volt a legmagasabb a munkanélküliségi ráta, amikor az MSZP ellenzékben volt. Ráadásul a munkanélküliség nem érte el a 12 százalékot 2010-ben. Az állítás egy…

Kisebbségben vannak a magyar dolgozók a vendégmunkásokhoz képest a hazai munkaerőpiacon? Nem, ez nem igaz: Bár 2022-ben jelentősen nőtt a Magyarországon dolgozó külföldi állampolgárok száma, a hivatalos statisztikák szerint a magyar munkavállalók száma 50:1 arányban meghaladja a külföldi társaikét. Az állítás egy videóban jelent meg (archiválva itt) a TikTokon 2023. szeptember 10-én. Egy híradó részletét látjuk, melyben elhangzik, hogy Orbán…

Magyarország tényleg egy olyan vállalat, amelyet az amerikai Tények Nyilatkozata megszüntetett? Nem, ez nem igaz: Magyarország még mindig egy állam, a hivatkozott dokumentumok pedig egy amerikai gyökerű összeesküvés elmélet elemei. Az elmélet szerint Magyarország egy már megszűnt cég, nem egy állam, ami többek között azt jelenti, hogy az embereknek nem kell betartaniuk a törvényeket, nem kell együttműködniük a hatóságokkal és…

Did Ferenc Donáth, grandfather of Hungarian opposition politician Anna Donáth, help the Soviet Union crush Hungarian freedom fighters in the 1956 Revolution? No, that's not true: Ferenc Donáth was a supporter of the 1956 Revolution who spent years in prison for his efforts to liberate Hungary from Soviet occupation. The claim appeared in a Hungarian-language video (archived here) on a…

Did female members of Hungary's opposition wear T-shirts saying "I do not have sex with Fideszers," referring to members of the governing Fidesz party? No, that's not true: The image of this had been doctored. The still photo (archived here) appeared on TikTok on August 12, 2023. It showed opposition politicians Bernadett Szél, Tímea Szabó, Zita Gurmai, Anett Bősz and…

Does a list of indispensable government employees mean the state plans to fire those not on the list and give their jobs to migrants? No, that's not true: According to news reports, the government is collecting data on the public sector labor force in order to estimate the minimum capacity needed to run the state, but there are no plans…

Az új személyi igazolványok egy rejtélyes terv miatt legkésőbb 2030-ban lejárnak? Nem, ez nem igaz: a magyar személyi igazolványok érvényességi ideje 2016 óta hat év, ezért nem volt senkinek 2030 után lejáró igazolványa 2023-ban. Az állítás egy TikTok videóban jelent meg (archiválva itt) 2023. augusztus 2-án a következő felirattal: Akik mostanában újítottak meg személyi igazolványt azok nézzék már meg legyenek…