“Hungary’s future should be determined by Hungarians,” authors of the statement said, and protested that “politicians in Brussels and Strasbourg should tell the Hungarian people what to do”.

At the press conference in Brussels, dedicated to the human rights situation in Hungary and a bill on civil organisations, Gianni Pittella, head of the Social Democrat group in the European Parliament, said that Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s prime minister, “must be stopped” from what he described as dismantling democracy in the country.

Liberal MEP Sophie in Veld said Hungary’s people were now “victims” denied good education, academic freedom or access to free media or civil organisations. She insisted that the European People’s Party should not defend Orbán but stand against him.

She also urged activation of Article 7 of the EU Treaty against Hungary. Gabriele Zimmer, head of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left group, criticised the EU for its “having no answers” to Hungarian measures curbing the rights of migrants.

She also urged EU institutions and the EPP group to come up with a position on the subject. Poland’s EPP MEP Rosa Thun said that her party must not overlook “the problems in Hungary”. Hungarian Socialist MEP István Ujhelyi said in a statement sent to MTI that “the illiberal Hungarian government has irreversibly left the path of democracy” and insisted that Orban’s EPP membership was a “disgrace”.

The EPP “must no longer stand Fidesz’s aggressive running amok”, he added.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.