The Roma of Hungary turn against Orbán and make his re-election more difficult

BerlinA racist comment by a Hungarian minister about Roma people, suggesting they should "clean the filthy toilets" on trains, could backfire on Fidesz, the party of ultranationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, ahead of the April 12 parliamentary elections. "The reserve of this country is the Hungarian people, not immigrants. The decision to close the border means that everyone must be given a chance in Hungary. We will not allow anyone who is not Hungarian into the country. If there are no immigrants and someone has to clean the toilets on intercity trains because Hungarian voters are unwilling, then the internal reserve must be called upon." "And the internal reserve is Hungary's Roma population," declared Transport and Construction Minister János Lázár at a rally with supporters outside Budapest.

The opposition and the Hungarian Roma community criticized the minister's racist remarks and demanded his resignation. "János, enough is enough. Retire from public life as soon as possible," they demanded. the opposition leader, the conservative Péter Magyarwho has been leading the polls for weeks. "Grab a toilet brush and wipe yourself," reacted Roma activist János Orsós to the minister's comments about the Roma community.

Faced with a barrage of criticism, Lázár asserted that the comments were not racist, but rather that he was referring to the Hungarian labor market. "I meant precisely that I don't want cleaners from Asia or North Africa being brought in, not even on InterCity trains, as long as there is a single Roma person detained in the country. This is another argument against immigration: prioritizing Roma people over any other type of immigrant," the minister explained.

"No campaign, not even panic in the face of defeat, nothing in this world can serve as an excuse for the humiliation of the Roma," declared the mayor of Budapest, the left-wing Gergely Karácsony, referring to the upcoming elections.

"Let's be clear: this is not a slip of the tongue. Lázár's statements are more than just shocking rhetoric. They are xenophobic, racist, and even have neo-fascist undertones. This rhetoric presents the Roma people as suitable for other doctors, as degrading to—or rather, degrading to—teachers, researchers, artists, leaders, or whatever they aspire to be," lamented activist Judit Ignácz, an expert at the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC), on her website.

Lázár eventually apologized, but, for the moment, has not resigned. "I want to apologize especially to my fellow Hungarian Roma who were hurt by these few words, by this idea. I am sorry, I am truly sorry," said the minister, who claimed to have been working on behalf of the Roma for 25 years.

Unfavorable polls for Orbán

Experts estimate that between 5% and 10% of Hungary's 10 million inhabitants belong to this minority. The integration of the Roma population remains an unresolved issue in the country, and its members suffer high levels of poverty.

For the first time in over a decade, polls suggest that Orbán could be defeated at the polls on April 12, when Hungary will hold parliamentary elections. Fidesz, the prime minister's party, is second in the polls, behind the opposition Tisza party of Péter Magyar, a former Orbán ally. According to a poll recently published in the newspaper Népszava48% of voters who have already decided how to vote would support Tisza, while 40% would support Fidesz. These percentages are the same as in December. Of the remaining parties, only the far-right Our Homeland (Mi Hazánk) party would surpass the 5% threshold needed to enter the Hungarian Parliament, according to the same poll. With nine weeks until the elections in Hungary, it remains to be seen whether the minister's controversial statements will result in a further loss of votes for Fidesz. Orbán, who presents himself as a champion of illiberal democracy, returned to power in Hungary in 2010 after a first term as prime minister between 1998 and 2002. The ultranationalist populist leader has waged a crusade against immigrants. A close ally of US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and a vocal critic of Brussels, Orbán is counting on the support of many in this election campaign. the support of far-right European leadersAmong them were the Italian Giorgia Meloni, the French Marine Le Pen, the German Alice Weidel and the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, as well as Prime Minister Milei.