Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned Hungarians on October 23 that they must "resist" the European Union, saying Brussels is trying to topple his government. Speaking on a holiday marking the 1956 uprising against Soviet repression that was brutally crushed by the Red Army, Orban, seen as Moscow's closest ally in the EU, said the bloc wants to install a "puppet government" because "independent Hungarian politics are unacceptable to Brussels." He also said "Slavic soldiers from the east" could be stationed in Hungary again, a thinly veiled reference to Ukraine. He provided no evidence to support his claims during the holiday speech -- which in the past Orban has used to compare the EU with the Soviet Union -- to thousands of his supporters. The EU has withheld billions of euros in financial aid to Hungary amid clashes over Orban's policies, which have widely been criticized for eroding the rule of law in the Central European nation. The two sides also have sparred for months over aid to Ukraine, migration, allegations of the misuse of bloc funds, and breaches of its laws. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Hungarian Service, click here.
Orban Tells Hungarians To 'Resist' Brussels
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks in Budapest's Millenaris Park on October 23 during commemorations of the 1956 anti-Soviet revolt.