The black-clad men snatched banners and shoved opposition activists, while far-right supporter Zsolt Bede shouted at the counter-protesters.

The rally in the town on Budapest’s eastern edge drew hundreds in the rain, with counter-protesters holding banners and chanting against Orbán from across the street.

Clashes repeatedly blocked traffic, yet police and security personnel did not intervene.

Orbán and his supporters responded to the counter-protesters’ chants of “Filthy Fidesz!” and “Orbán, get lost!” by trying to drown them out with their own cheers.

Orbán’s speech repeatedly labelled the protesters as provocateurs and pro-Ukrainian, claiming external actors, including the EU and Ukraine, were behind Hungary’s difficulties.

Péter Magyar criticised the event, highlighting that black-jacketed men, rather than police, secured the rally and provoked disturbances.

Magyar called on citizens to remain calm, avoid participation, and resist provocation, warning such tactics aim to destabilise society and manipulate the election.

MTI Stock Photo - for illustrative purposes only

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com
 

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