The European Parliament was accused of excluding Hungary from a plenary session in Strasbourg Monday as liberal MEPs attempted to weaponise the trial of an Antifa militant arrested in Budapest last year in a ‘rule of law’ jab against the country’s ruling Fidesz government.
The case of Italian-born left-wing militant Ilaria Salis―detained and awaiting trial for her role in multiple assaults against perceived right-wing activists―came to international attention last week with NGOs and even the Italian government taking issue with the 39-year-old being brought in arm and leg restraints before a Budapest judge on charges of causing grievous bodily harm.
Alongside two German nationals, Salis was charged for her part in a series of hammer and baton attacks in Budapest in February 2023. The attackers targeted people they thought were ‘far right’ based on their choice of clothing. Salis faces a sentence of up to 11 years as she entered a plea of not guilty before the court in Budapest last week.
Despite claims from Hungarian officials that she lied when giving testimony about her alleged role in premeditated acts of political violence her colleagues helped film, Salis has become a cause célèbre among anti-Fidesz progressives in an attempt to drive a wedge between the conservative Italian and Hungarian governments.
Salis’ alleged mistreatment, specifically her courtroom shackling, triggered a debate at the European Parliament Monday with Commissioner Mairead McGuinness revealing that the EU was currently pushing for a more lenient form of house of arrest for the jailed left-wing militant.
McGuinness also broached the potential of “infringement proceedings” as Italian Fratelli MEP Pietro Fiocchi branded the entire debate as merely an “excuse to attack Hungary” by left-wing forces within the EU Parliament, while claiming that the Italian government was already “pulling out all the stops” for fair treatment of Salis.
Responding to claims that her government was negligent in the treatment of prisoners, Fidesz MEP Enikő Győri blasted the fixation with Salis as an attempt to attack Hungary’s ruling government. He also questioned why Hungary was not given proper time to respond to the claims being levelled against the country.
Győri’s remarks were echoed by Rassemblement National MEP Jean-Lin Lacapelle who asked whether the EU would have the same fixation on the wellbeing of nationalists if they had crossed borders to attack left-wing activists.
Hungary’s conservative policies have frequently prompted attacks from Eurocrats under the guise of ‘rule of law’. There are growing calls to use Article 7 proceedings to strip Budapest of its voting rights.
Declining EU-Hungarian relations became the subject of media intrigue last week as leaked documents revealed plans to sabotage the Hungarian economy.
