Hungary Muffled as EP Debates Alleged Antifa Member on Trial

Mairead McGuinness, an Irish politician serving as the European Commissioner for Financial Stability, during the debate.

The European Parliament’s (EP) left fractions are exploiting the artificially generated outrage around the prison conditions of an Italian woman on trial in Hungary, who is charged with being party to a series of violent attacks by Antifa extremists last year. The EP debate that took place on Monday was, by the assessment of some Hungarian MEPs, symptomatic of the degradation of democratic standards in the EU, as no Hungarian politician was allowed to address the accusations brought against the Hungarian prison system.

An MEP for the government Party Fidesz had posted a screenshot containing a list of names who were allowed to speak during the debate on Hungary that contains no Hungarian MEPs.

“Here is the list of speakers for today’s debate on the Ilaria Salis case. No Hungarian MEPs were given the floor.

The European Parliament attacks Hungary, but does not give us the opportunity to respond and defend ourselves. Shame on the left-wing majority that does not recognize the right to a fair trial,”

wrote Enikő Győri in her social media post. In her speech delivered before the item on the agenda, she continued by pointing out that this practice also violates the Rules of Procedure: “…the discussion of the next item on the agenda does not comply with Rule 37/4 of the Rules of Procedure and is a violation of European values. A Member State, Hungary, is being seriously accused and I am not being given the right to speak in the debate as a Hungarian Member. This does not comply with the principle of a fair trial,” the Fidesz MEP said.

Although not on the list, far-left German SPD politician Katarina Barley, who is known for her regular attacks against the conservative government of Viktor Orbán, also took part in the debate. Left-wing Italian politicians have used their speeches to attack the government of Giorgia Meloni for allegedly not taking a tough enough stance in the interest of the Italian detainee. Member of Matteo Renzi’s liberal Italia Viva, MEP Nicola Danti went so far as calling Viktor Orbán Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s “worrying friend.” Even the EP newsletter reporting on the debate had repeated the false allegation refuted by the Hungarian Prison Service, according to which the Italian defendant is housed in “deplorable prison conditions…, with rats, insects, and poor hygiene.”

However, the debate was not entirely one sided. Italian MEP Pietro Fiocchi of Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy opined that this debate should never have taken place. Instead he interpreted the plenary session as just another excuse to attack Hungary and Italy. France’s Jean-Lin Lacapelle, MEP for the National Rally, accused the European Parliament of using the case of the Italian woman on trial with the aim of interfering in Hungarian national politics.

As reported in Magyar Nemzet, Tamás Deutsch, leader of the Fidesz delegation to the European Parliament, told journalists that the essence of the debate was “political manipulation” in service of the EU’s own agenda. In his view, all people of good conscience, Hungarians and non-Hungarians alike, feel sympathy for the innocent victims of the 2023 Antifa attacks in Budapest. In contrast, the left-wing media, which seek to discredit Hungary, ignore the victims while they want to pity the perpetrator. In Deutsch’s view, the artificial scandal is in fact an attempt to set the conservative governments of Italy and Hungary against each other.

A year ago, far-left Antifa activist Ilaria Salis – who arrived smiling to her preparatory meeting this Monday – along with her associates, traveled to Hungary and brutally attacked passers-by for political reasons. The Budapest Chief Prosecutor’s Office charged her with… pic.twitter.com/U6NPnh9nPT

— Balázs Orbán (@BalazsOrban_HU) February 1, 2024

A year ago, a group of violent Antifa thugs, most of them Italian and German nationals, attacked people they thought were members of a radical right-wing group on Budapest’s streets. Most of the victims turned out to be uninvolved passers by and foreign tourists. Some of the victims were beaten so severely that they suffered serious injuries that required intensive care. One of the alleged members of the far-left extremist group, Ilaria Salis, is currently standing trial in Hungary, charged with membership in a criminal organization, attempted bodily harm, and endangering life.

Featured Photo: European Parliament.