Tamás Menczer, the communications director of the ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrat alliance, said on Thursday that Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People’s Party (EPP), “wants to punish Hungary”.
“There are politicians in Brussels who just cannot stand Hungarians; they want to punish us. Not [Prime Minister] Viktor Orbán or his Fidesz party, but the whole country,” Menczer said in a video on Facebook. “Manfred Weber is just such a politician” and “he himself said so”. Menczer quoted Weber as saying in a recent statement that by adopting the EU’s Article 7 report on Hungary he had “voted against the country, not against Fidesz or Viktor Orbán. Against the whole country.” As far as Weber is concerned, this means that “we Hungarians are the problem”. He said the EPP leader wanted to punish Hungary because “we say no to the war, immigration and LGBTQ propaganda”. “Weber is a pro-war, pro-migration and pro-LGBTQ politician,” he said, adding that Weber had now been joined by Peter Magyar, the deputy leader of the new Respect and Freedom (Tisza) party, which won seven seats in the EP in the June 9 EP election. “But no matter how many people line up, marching on the other side; no matter how enormous the pro-war and pro-immigration pressure is, we will always fight with all our strength to protect Hungary’s peace and security,” Menczer said.