On the occasion of Hungary’s national holiday on Wednesday, the Prime Minister once again attacked the EU, saying that Brussels wanted to replace his government with a “puppet regime”.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a speech on Wednesday that the European Union was seeking to overthrow his government.
The leader made the statement in front of thousands of supporters in Budapest, during the country’s National Day celebrations. This commemorates the 1956 armed uprising against Soviet repression, which began in the capital and spread throughout the country before being crushed by the Red Army.
“Independent Hungarian policies are unacceptable for Brussels”Viktor Orbán told the crowd. “This is why they announced that they were going to get rid of the Hungarian national government and establish a puppet government from Brussels”.
The Hungarian leader provided no proof for his claimsto which the EU has not yet publicly reacted.
“Should we submit to foreign will, or should we resist it?” continued Viktor Orbán. “I propose that our response be as clear and unambiguous as in 1956”.
Tension is at its peak between Budapest and Brussels
The EU has retained billion euros in financial aid to Hungary over its alleged violations of the rule of law, while some EU lawmakers have repeatedly proposed stripping Hungary of its voting rights over its democratic backsliding.
In 2022, the European Parliament declared that Hungary could no longer be considered a democracy.
For two years, Viktor Orbán has regularly blocked, delayed or attenuated EU efforts to provide aid to Ukraine and sanction Russia, and has adopted an oppositional stance toward Kyiv while moving closer to Moscow.
The Hungarian Prime Minister also dissociated himself from other European leaders by calling for an immediate ceasefire and peace talks in Ukraine.
“Brussels bureaucrats have dragged the West into a hopeless war”says Viktor Orbán, “In their minds, stunned by the hope of victory, this war is that of the West against Russia”.
“They now want to openly push the entire European Union into the war in Ukraine”he adds.
He also claims, without providing evidence, that the EU would consider allowing Ukrainian soldiers to station in Hungary after the end of the war“to guarantee the security of the whole of Europe”.
“We Hungarians would wake up one morning to find that East Slavic soldiers are once again stationed on the territory of Hungary”he declares. “We don’t want this, but the pressure from Brussels is growing”.
Viktor Orbán’s party is losing momentum
Viktor Orbán’s right-wing populist government has been losing momentum for several months, due to Hungary’s economic difficulties, a series of scandals and the emergence of a new popular opponent, Peter Magyarand his Tisza party.
Recent polls show that VIktor Orbán’s Fidesz party is neck and neck with Tisza, as national elections loom in 2026.
ADVERTISEMENTLater on Wednesday, Péter Magyar led thousands of his supporters in a march between symbolic sites of the 1956 revolution in central Budapest.
Judit Fábián, a protester who traveled 120 kilometers from the town of Győr to participate in the rally, says that Hungary’s fight for freedom 68 years ago has parallels with today’s situation.
“We want freedom, we want to find our country, our symbols, freely express our opinions, live freely, live in democracy. This is the most important thing”she declares.
Another demonstrator, Tamás Csipes, considers thatafter 15 years of power of Viktor Orbán and his party, it was time for Hungary to take another path.
ADVERTISEMENT“There should be a change in this country”he says. “I voted for Fidesz for a very long time, but eight or ten years ago I realized that it was no longer the Fidesz of before”.
