Orban organizes mass rally for 'peace' ahead of European elections

Tens of thousands of Hungarians gathered Saturday for a “peace march” called by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is increasingly stoking fears of a war between the West and Russia that he blames on Brussels and NATO, in the run-up to next week's European elections.

Mass rallies in support of the ruling Fidesz party, dubbed “peace marches” even before Russia's war in Ukraine, have been regularly held ahead of major elections since the nationalist leader's return to power in 2010.

Orban presented himself as “fighting alone for peace” within the EU, calling the upcoming European Parliament elections a referendum on the conflict.

“We have the largest electoral army… we are the largest peacekeeping force in Europe,” he told a huge crowd in Budapest while waving Hungarian flags, predicting a “great victory ” in the European and local elections next week.

For the mass rally, a huge banner reading “No War” was set up on the banks of the Danube in central Budapest.

As Moscow's closest ally despite the invasion of Ukraine, Orban has refused to send weapons to kyiv while blocking European military aid.

He has repeatedly said Ukraine “can't win,” saying “most people want” a ceasefire and peace negotiations.

In recent weeks, Orban has stepped up his rhetoric, accusing Brussels and NATO of fueling the war in Ukraine by providing support.

On Friday, Orban accused the defense alliance of “dragging” Hungary into war with Ukraine, comparing it to how Adolf Hitler pressured the country to join World War II .

– 'Breaked a taboo' –

Orban also recently suggested that he would like to “redefine” Hungary's position in the alliance to prevent any participation in operations “outside NATO territory”, saying his lawyers were already working on this.

According to political analyst Zsuzsanna Vegh, Orban's attacks on NATO, claiming that the alliance was dragging Hungary “into a world war”, have reached a new stage.

“Even though Orban's government has already entered into conflict with NATO (…), it has always considered the alliance as the cornerstone of Hungarian security,” she told AFP .

His remarks “broke a taboo,” propelling “the government’s entire war narrative into a new dimension,” Vegh said.

According to polls, Orban's strategy of hammering home his “anti-war” arguments appears to be working.

“I am convinced that the prime minister is right. It is easy for Western Europe, they are 1,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, but we are very close,” said Margit Kovacsne, a retired teacher from 67 years old who participated in Saturday's rally. .

“If the flow of weapons continues, it's an escalation (…) I don't even want to think about it,” she told AFP.

Earlier this year, rare public anger erupted in Hungary, notably from rising opposition leader Peter Magyar, which has rallied thousands of supporters and posed the most serious challenge in Orban's 14 years in power .

But Orban was optimistic on Saturday, saying that “in a week we will receive reinforcements from all the countries of Europe”, and that with the re-election of Donald Trump as president of the United States, the formation of a “transatlantic peace coalition” would even be possible. .

mg-ros/anb-kym/imm