‘Indeed a terrorist organisation’: Hungary’s Viktor Orban on Antifa

FILE – US President Donald Trump welcomes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to the White House in Washington, on May 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close ally of Donald Trump, on Friday called Antifa “indeed a terrorist organisation”, signalling it could be classified as a terrorist oranisation in Hungary too, mirroring a recent decision by the US president.“Antifa is indeed a terrorist organisation. In Hungary, too, the time has come for us to classify organisations such as Antifa as terrorist organisations, following the American model,” Orbán, a right-wing populist, told state radio. He welcomed Trump’s announcement earlier this week, calling it “pleasing.” Antifa — short for “anti-fascist” — is a loose network of far-left activists who oppose what they see as fascism and neo-Nazism, often through protests. While not a structured group, some adherents have embraced militant tactics. It remains unclear what prompted Orbán’s decision, as Antifa has little visible presence in Hungary, where his party has dominated politics for more than 15 years. He did, however, cite a 2023 incident in the capital, Budapest, in which self-described antifascists attacked participants in an annual far-right gathering.One alleged assailant, Italian activist Ilaria Salis, spent over a year in Hungarian custody, sparking a diplomatic dispute with Italy over her conditions in detention. She was later released to house arrest and in May 2024 won a seat in the European Parliament, gaining legal immunity. Hungarian prosecutors continue to seek her extradition, with an 11-year prison term requested. Orbán criticised Salis’ case, saying Antifa members had “come to Hungary and beaten peaceful people in the street, some half to death, and then they became European members of parliament and from there lecture Hungary on the rule of law.”