APA Fact Check: Telegram Group Spreads False Quote from Vice Chancellor Babler

Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler (SPÖ) is attributed with a quote circulating on the internet that blames Austrians for the deficit (3.4). With this alleged statement, Babler insults "the Austrians" and urges them to work more.

Misquote from Vice Chancellor Babler on Budget Deficit Circulating

Assessment: It is a misquote that was completely fabricated. There is no evidence that Babler ever said this. Upon inquiry by APA-Faktencheck, the Vice Chancellor's press spokesperson denied the statement attributed to him.

Verification: The circulating quote cannot be substantiated by any publicly available speech or publication. The Vice Chancellor and SPÖ party chairman has repeatedly advocated for a reduction in working hours, which contradicts the content of the misquote. His press spokesperson denied the quote in its entirety to the APA. She could rule out "that these words were ever spoken." A web search for the quote on both Google and Bing yields no results outside of Facebook groups. It can be ruled out that Babler spoke these words in a public context. However, this is exactly what is claimed in the posting. According to the posting's publication date and the feigned news character, the mentioned SPÖ event would have had to take place on May 19, 2025. According to Babler's press department, the only media-public event for the Vice Chancellor on that day was the reception of ESC winner Johannes Pietsch at the Federal Chancellery, which was also live-streamed and remains available uncut.

False Statements Also on Working Hours and Productivity

Further claims from the false quote concern domestic economic performance and the average weekly working hours. According to these figures, Austria would be at the bottom in the EU comparison. A comparison of the average weekly working hours shows that the Netherlands has the lowest number of hours at 33.1. According to a survey by the statistical office of the European Union, Austria follows behind Denmark and Germany with 35.8 weekly hours. Domestic productivity is indeed lagging behind in the EU comparison. According to the current economic forecast, Austria is even the only one of the 27 EU countries predicted to experience an economic decline. According to a survey from 2024, Austria's gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was not at the bottom in the EU comparison.

Chancellor Stocker Considers More Work Necessary

Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) advocated for an increase in productivity in Austria at the state party conference of the Vorarlberg People's Party in May. In his speech, Stocker spoke about Austria's economic difficulties and the government's plans to counteract them. Stocker stated that an economic upturn is needed, which would also mean that people in Austria would have to work more again to secure the country's prosperity. However, he did not make any statement that matches the offensive tone and exact wording of the circulating quote.

False Quote from Vice Chancellor Babler: Telegram Group as Source

The Babler false quote can be traced back to a Telegram group, which, according to the German Press Agency (dpa), is already known for regularly spreading false statements from well-known politicians. So far, these have primarily been alleged quotes from German politicians, which have already been refuted in several fact checks.

(APA/Red)

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