from imprisoned protester to controversial MEP

CCTV footage of the brutal attack in which Salis allegedly took part.

Ilaria Salis, an ANTIFA activist accused of the “ANTIFA Budapest attacks,” has won an unlikely victory: becoming a member of the European Parliament.

According to Euronews, this result, facilitated by her new parliamentary immunity, marks the end of more than a year of legal proceedings against her in Hungary.

The 39-year-old teacher polled a staggering 165,000 votes in the recent European elections, securing her a seat within the Greens and the Left Alliance. “Regardless of the results awaiting confirmation, we can say with a fairly high degree of certainty that Ilaria Salis will be an MEP, and I believe she will be elected by an avalanche of votes,” predicted Nicola Fratoianni, national secretary of the Greens. and Left Alliance, on election night.

As Hint Reports, Ms. Salis's trip was tumultuous. Arrested on February 11, 2023, she was charged with aggravated wounding and politically motivated criminal association for allegedly attacking innocent people in Budapest.

She pleaded not guilty and rejected a hefty 11-year plea deal. With two German co-defendants, she faced more than 20 years in prison, although no witnesses identified her as the perpetrator of the crime.

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Ilaria Salis is a political activist accused of being part of an ANTIFA group that attacked random people in Budapest last year. The reason for this politically heated attack was that the victims wore clothing similar to those of the participants in the so-called “small group hike” on the “Day of Honor”, well known to several far-right organizations. The group's attacks were aimed at sending a message of deterrence to representatives of far-right movements by deliberately inflicting serious or even fatal injuries on them and due to the circumstances of the unexpected attack.

Her detention sparked outrage across Europe when she was presented before a judge in January with her hands and feet shackled, a visual denounced as “degrading” by her supporters.

The Greens and the Left Alliance rallied behind Salis' candidacy to “protect the rights and dignity of European citizens” and denounce his “uncivilized” treatment.

Nicola Fratoianni and her colleague Angelo Bonelli said in a Facebook post in April: “The idea is that around the candidacy of Ilaria Salis, a great and generous battle can be generated so that the European Union defends the principles of the rule of law and reaffirms the inviolability of fundamental human rights.

With Ms Salis now an MEP, the Alliance will likely pursue legislative initiatives protecting the rights of those involved in criminal proceedings across the EU.