The liberal forces, having realized that Viktor Orbán’s power cannot be undermined at home, have now launched a systematic hunt for his party’s MEPs, Dániel Bohár writes in a colum n on conservative news portal 888.hu.
Even before I wander in this direction, let me first make it clear that József Szájer made a mistake that a politician in his position is not allowed to make. A Christian Democrat politician does not go to such a “house party,” especially in the midst of a coronavirus epidemic. At the same time, Szájer accepted the consequences, resigned, ended his political career, and retired from public life.
“A Belgian news story appeared today in the Belgian press about a house party in Brussels on Friday, which I attended,” Szájer wrote in his statement. The Belgian authorities initiated proceedings against József Szájer for finding drugs in his bag. He denied that they were his.
“I didn’t use drugs, I offered the police on the spot to have an official test done, but they didn’t. Police said an ecstasy pill was found. It’s not mine, I don’t know who placed it and how. I made a statement to the police about this.”
Though Szájer did make a mistake, the case is a textbook example of a well-organized secret service action. The authorities most likely had been watching the Hungarian representative for some time, getting to know his habits, so it was easy to set a trap for him. At the same time, it is clear that an MEP who has been moving in politics for 30 years should not have made such an amateur mistake. Of course, this is easy to say, but a similar case occurred with former Austrian Interior Minister Heinz-Christian Strache. Surely everyone remembers the videos. It was a perfect job, too.
An important detail in the case is the drug charge, and here we should read between the lines. Szájer writes in his statement that he did not consume any mind-altering drugs, but ecstasy tablets were found in his backpack. To clarify the situation, Szájer requested an immediate drug test, which was rejected by the authority. Why? Most likely because then it would have turned out that there were really no drugs in his system, and the well-informed Belgian and Hungarian press wouldn’t have even been able to report on it.
The leak of the story is also noteworthy. In addition to the Hungarian MEP, several other diplomats attended the party, yet we have not heard anything about them. In any case, the fact that information from the Belgian prosecutor’s office appeared the next day in the Belgian press raises serious questions. Privacy rights, among others, seem to be unknown concepts in the developed rule of law in the West.
The timing also suggests that this is a well-organized action, as Hungary is engaged in its biggest debate with the European Union in recent years. With the “shooting” of József Szájer, Viktor Orbán lost one of his most important allies in the European Parliament.
To sum things up: This case foreshadows what to expect in the next year and a half. It is quite clear that all the foreign opponents of the Orbán government have come to the conclusion that left to the “domestic” opposition alone, there will be no change of government anytime soon. The network, complemented by the secret service, is already working hard, collecting everything from everyone. The case of Szájer is a warning sign. It doesn’t matter that someone has been a politician, a pioneer of the regime change for 30 years and the author of Hungary’s new constitution or that he is one of the most prominent minds in the country.
Let’s take care of ourselves and take care of each other, for the sake of each other!
Title image: A general view of the room before a plenary session at the European Parliament, in Brussels, Monday, Nov. 23, 2020. (Kenzo Tribouillard, Pool via AP)
