The claim
The video from June 2023 shows current scenes of migrants in Istanbul who are on their way to Germany.
Our conclusion
Wrong : The video is already a few years old, from 2020, and shows migrants who were setting off on buses from Istanbul to the EU border.
We live in a time where information is more accessible than ever before. But with the power of social media comes the responsibility to distinguish truth from fiction. A good example of this is a video that went viral on social media. It shows a crowd of people crowding in front of buses in Istanbul, with the caption: “New specialists and doctors on the way to Germany.” But is the video as current as it claims? And does it accurately reflect the situation?

Fact check: “New specialists and doctors on their way to Germany”?
| Claims | Fact check |
|---|---|
| The video shows current scenes of migrants in Istanbul who are on their way to Germany. | The video is already a few years old, from 2020, and shows migrants who set off on buses from Istanbul to the EU border. |
| The migrants are “new specialists and doctors”. | This is a sarcastic and misleading statement. The video shows a group of migrants, but there is no evidence that they are all “professionals” or “doctors.” |
| The migrants are taken in and sent to Germany. | In fact, many of the migrants seen on the buses attempted to cross the EU border after Turkey announced it would open its borders. However, Greece has not opened the border and the migrants have not progressed. |
| The video was recently recorded and released. | The video was actually published on Twitter on February 28, 2020 by the Turkish news portal “En Son Haber”. |
| The situation shown in the video is the current norm. | The situation in the video was the result of specific political events in 2020 and is not representative of the current migration situation in Turkey or towards the EU. |
The Reveal: A Video from the Past
The video that is currently attracting so much attention is not new. It comes from 2020 and shows migrants who were on buses in Istanbul making their way to the EU border.
The original source
The video was originally published on Twitter on February 28, 2020 by the Turkish news portal “En Son Haber”. It was taken on a large multi-lane street in Istanbul, and the buildings in the background are easily visible on Google Street View.
Avrupa'ya gitmek isteyen mülteciler izdihama neden oldu pic.twitter.com/iMYoa3hrhH
— ENSONHABER (@ensonhaber) February 28, 2020
The context: A difficult moment in history
A similar video was shared on YouTube by Turkish television channel TRT on the same day. Both videos show migrants making their way to the Turkish-Greek border in buses.
The political landscape
In February 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that his country would open the border with Greece and allow refugees to travel to the EU. However, Greece did not respond as migrants had hoped and did not open the border. Greece reportedly used tear gas against arriving refugees and thousands held out in border towns such as Edirne.
The Impact: A Humanitarian Crisis
The situation at the border developed into a humanitarian crisis. Turkey finally closed its borders to the EU again and justified this with the corona pandemic that was beginning at that time.
The criticism: a breach of the refugee agreement?
Turkey's decision to open the border was criticized by politicians from EU countries as a breach of the refugee agreement with the EU. Since 2016, the agreement has stipulated that Turkey accepts refugees who want to travel on to the EU. In return, the EU pays billions to Turkey. However, it is controversial whether the agreement is legally binding.
Conclusion: A Lesson in Media Literacy
This incident highlights the need to critically examine information shared on social media. At a time when misinformation can spread quickly, it is important to check the facts and understand the context before sharing or responding to such stories. Standing up for the truth and guarding against manipulation is our shared responsibility. In this sense, the video about migrants in Istanbul is a vivid example of how easily the truth can be distorted in the digital age. It reminds us that we all play a role in shaping our information landscape and that the truth is often more complex than a short video clip suggests.
Source: DPA
Also read: Fact check: the taking into care of Ukrainian children in Germany
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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )

