Jarosław Kaczyński Faces Ethics Motion After Repeating Fake News About Peter Magyar

Jarosław Kaczyński, chairman of the Law and Justice party (PiS), repeated false information on the floor of the Polish Sejm on April 14, 2026, claiming that Péter Magyar — whose TISZA party had won the Hungarian parliamentary elections two days earlier — had "roasted a puppy" in a microwave. Kaczyński made the remarks when asked by journalists why he refused to congratulate Magyar on his election victory. The PiS chairman stated he would "under no circumstances" offer congratulations, describing Magyar as someone who "simply should not exist in the public life of Poland, Europe, and the world." PiS spokesperson Rafał Bochenek subsequently admitted on the social media platform X that the specific claim about the puppy was untrue, acknowledging that Kaczyński had relied on "information that had been circulated by the media for many days." The incident drew immediate political reaction, including a formal motion to the Sejm's ethics committee.

Fake story traced to a website launched one month before elections The false claim originated from an article published on April 6, 2026, by a portal called Magyar Hirek 24, which had begun publishing materials only one month before the Hungarian parliamentary elections. The article accused Magyar of killing a dog in a microwave and cited an alleged book by his ex-wife, Judit Varga, the former Hungarian Minister of Justice. No such book exists in any online bookstore, and Varga herself denied having written an autobiography. The fabricated story was subsequently amplified by pro-Russian accounts on social media in the days before the Hungarian vote, according to reporting by the Polish fact-checking outlet Konkret24. Kaczyński attributed the claim specifically to Magyar's wife, saying he was referring to "what his wife describes, that he roasted a puppy." Péter Magyar rose to political prominence in Hungary as a critic of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government. His TISZA party contested the April 12, 2026, parliamentary elections and won, defeating Orbán's Fidesz. Judit Varga, Magyar's ex-wife, previously served as Hungary's Minister of Justice from July 2019 until her resignation in June 2023. The Hungarian elections took place against a backdrop of intense disinformation activity, with multiple false narratives circulating about Magyar in the weeks before the vote.

PiS admits error but blames flood of anti-Magyar materials Bochenek's statement on X framed the false claim as one item among many "controversial materials" circulating about Magyar, describing it as the one that "turned out to be untrue." He added: „In the flood of numerous controversial materials presenting situations involving the candidate supported by Tusk, this one specific one turned out to be untrue. It would be good if others were also invented, but unfortunately, they are not.” — Rafał Bochenek via wpolityce.pl PiS MP Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk acknowledged on TVN24's "Fakty po Faktach" program that "the chairman made a mistake" but defended the party's handling of the situation, citing the speed of the spokesperson's correction. PiS MP Kazimierz Smoliński offered a softer defense, arguing in the TVN24 program "Tak jest" that "Chairman Kaczyński said that it is possible, not that it is a fact." Civic Coalition (KO) MP Konrad Frysztak offered a sharper assessment, saying the episode showed "the state of Jarosław Kaczyński today" and suggesting that "his circle is probably reading the internet to him" without any filter. Szynkowski vel Sęk responded by arguing that Prime Minister Donald Tusk "does not make mistakes" only because "he simply lies consciously."

Ethics committee motion filed, but no letter received yet KO MEP Krzysztof Brejza filed a formal motion to the chairwoman of the Sejm Deputies' Ethics Committee, Ewa Schadler of Polska 2050, calling for Kaczyński to be punished for his remarks. In the motion, Brejza argued that a member of the Sejm "is obliged to behave in a manner consistent with the dignity of the held mandate, guided by the principles of responsibility for the word, reliability, and care for the good name of the Sejm." He described Kaczyński's statement as an example of "dissemination of information of an unverified, sensational, and potentially false nature, which may constitute an example of disinformation in the public space." Brejza further argued that invoking "drastic and shocking content regarding private life, without unequivocal confirmation of its truthfulness," lowered the level of public debate and violated the dignity of the person concerned. Ewa Schadler confirmed to the Polish state news agency PAP that an MEP, like any citizen, has the right to submit such a motion, but noted that no letter from Brejza had yet reached the committee as of Tuesday. The episode unfolded as the Sejm also debated the likely extradition of former Polish officials Zbigniew Ziobro and Marcin Romanowski, who have been sheltering in Hungary under Orbán's government and whose status Magyar's victory is expected to change.