An activist and municipal councilor from Hungary disrupted Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s news conference in Strasbourg, France, on Tuesday. The activist, Márton Gyekiczki, interrupted Orban while he was discussing Hungary’s upcoming presidency of the European Union, particularly on the topic of immigration. Gyekiczki ran towards the podium, throwing what appeared to be banknotes at Orban and yelling accusations at him, questioning how much he had “sold out” Hungary. The disruption came as Orban was set to address the European Parliament during Hungary’s Presidency of the EU, highlighting his government’s strained relationship with the EU over democratic rights and his close ties with autocratic regimes like Russia and China.
Gyekiczki, a member of Hungary’s Democratic Coalition party and a local council member in a Budapest suburb, was taken to the ground by security guards and led out of the room after disrupting the news conference. Former Prime Minister Ference Gyurcsány, the president of the Democratic Coalition party, expressed pride in Gyekiczki’s actions on social media, calling the Hungarian government “traitorous.” Orban is expected to face a mixed reception in the EU parliament, with many lawmakers advocating for Hungary to be deprived of EU funds due to rule-of-law and corruption violations. Two years ago, the parliament labeled Hungary under Orban as a “hybrid regime of electoral autocracy,” moving it out of the community of democracies.
Orban successfully formed the Patriots for Europe group within the EU parliament this year, uniting far-right parties from across the continent to become the third-largest group in the legislature. During the news conference, Orban expressed concerns about the declining EU economy and lagging competitiveness compared to the United States and China. He criticized recently adopted EU tariffs on Chinese-produced electric vehicles and spoke out against immigration, which he claimed was resulting in the destruction of the EU’s visa-free Schengen area. Orban proposed a regular “Schengen Summit” for member countries to address border policies and prevent the breakdown of the Schengen system due to individual countries introducing temporary border checks.
Orban responded to the disruption by Gyekiczki by offering “a word of explanation for Hungarian political culture,” explaining that in Hungarian politics, calling someone a scoundrel simply signifies disagreement. The disruption at the news conference in Strasbourg highlights the tensions between Orban’s government and the EU over democratic rights, corruption, and ties with autocratic regimes. The disruption also sheds light on the mixed reception Orban is expected to receive in the EU parliament, with some calling for sanctions against Hungary. Despite these issues, Orban has managed to form alliances within the parliament and has advocated for joint decisions among member countries to address challenges facing the EU.
