Prime Minister Victor Orban said on Friday that Hungary will follow the leadership of US President Donald Trump and designate Antifa, an ambiguous, distant anti-fascist group that is more ideological than formal groups as a terrorist organization.
Orban, who sent Hungarian civic agencies for 15 years, said he was “pleased” with Trump’s decision to list Antifa as the “major terrorist organization” in the United States, and said Hungary would do the same.
“Antifa is a terrorist organization,” Orbán told State Radio. “It is also Hungary that, following the example of the US, organizations such as ANTIFA are classified as terrorist organizations.”
Orban, the champion of what he calls “condemnational democracy,” is often believed to have inspired Trump’s playbook for the government. Orban became a beloved man to the conservatives of Maga, and the president praised him as a “very great leader” and a “very strong man.” While critics of the Trump administration have accused the president of deploying the tactics used in Hungary, Orban’s announcement shows that relationships can proceed in both ways.
In a tilade early Thursday morning during a state visit to England, Trump wrote in a society of truth that he designated antifa. A few days after the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the president tried to direct his conservative rage into an effort to pursue his rivals.
In the US, ANTIFA is a roughly organized movement with no clear leaders, membership lists or structures. Unlike the US State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organizations, as a domestic movement, it enjoys First Amendment protections, so it is unclear how Trump’s designation will affect ANTIFA.
Antifa is similarly unstructured in Hungary. In his comments, Orban cited the 2023 incident in which Italian anti-fascist activist Ilaria Salis was arrested on suspicion of assaulting participants at the annual far-right “Day of Honor” event held in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.
“They came to Hungary and beat peaceful people on the streets.
After being released in May 2024, Saris won a seat in the European Parliament and granted her legal immunity.
Without naming Solis, Orban complained that antifa activists could “become a MEP and then lecture to Hungary about the rule of law.” European lawmakers have criticized Hungary for continuing to commemorate “Day of Honor.” This shows the failed attempt by the Nazi German and Hungarian forces in 1945 to defeat the Soviet siege in Budapest.
Antifa is not an active group in Hungary, but Orbán’s threat is not surprising. Orban has long been trying to integrate his powers by concocting scapegoats for Hungarian illnesses. Most famously, he denigrates billionaire philanthropist George Soros, covering the foundations of his open society from the country.
Orban’s plot around Soros has gained traction in the United States. Trump suggested in August that Soros should be charged under federal law decades ago. Rackett is the affected corrupt organizational law (RICO) due to his alleged “such as support for violent protests.”
Following Kirk’s assassination last week, conservatives have called for RICO to bring about accusations from left-wing groups that Trump sees as part of a coordinated effort to incite violence in the US.
