A week before the elections to the European Parliament, the so-called “peace march” took place in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. The event was initiated by the Prime Minister of the country Viktor Orban.
Orbán, who has been in power for the longest time among all current European politicians – more than 14 years – said that his opponents inside and outside the country are trying to drag Hungary into war.
Rallyed by the Prime Minister, the protesters marched from the city’s famous Chain Bridge to Margaret Island, waving flags and placards reading “No War”. Orban calls for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. Critics of his policy say that an immediate cessation of hostilities right now will freeze the conflict and help the Russians consolidate in those territories that they have already fully or partially captured.
During the march, Viktor Orbán told supporters that it was time for his party to “occupy Brussels,” the de facto capital of the EU, and change the bloc’s approach to supporting Ukraine.
“We must win the European elections so that the Brussels bureaucrats will open the doors of the city to us in fear and leave their offices in a hurry,” – said the Prime Minister of Hungary.
Polls suggest that Orbán’s Fidesz party will win the largest number of seats in the EU legislature in next week’s elections. But a series of scandals and a deep economic crisis gave chances in the elections for a political newcomer, Peter Magyar. The politician was able to take advantage of Orbán’s moment of weakness and build a large movement in three months, which can also get a significant part of the votes.
Magyar, who gained notoriety for publicly accusing Orbán’s party of corruption and turning Hungarian media into a pro-government propaganda machine, has himself led numerous large protests and called for the “biggest political demonstration in Hungary’s history” ahead of the election.
But the crowd gathered by the head of government in Budapest showed that Orbán’s brand of right-wing populism and threats that EU and US military support for Ukraine is leading to a new world war still resonate with large parts of Hungarian society.
