By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – At least some 100,000 Hungarians, many armed with “No War” signs and Hungarian flags, participated in a “Peace March” to support Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who seeks an end to the war in neighboring Ukraine.
The rally saw many marching along the Danube River in Budapest from its iconic Chain Bridge to Margaret Island in the Danube River, a tranquil getaway within the city, where Orbán warned against Brussels’ war plans.
Speaking ahead of European Parliament and municipal elections here, he said it was time “to step on the emergency brake” and “jump off Europe’s train leading towards war.”
Orbán, seen as the European Union’s most pro-Russian politician, also condemned what he viewed as the EU’s “gender and migration propaganda.”
He said these issues will be tackled with an expected election victory of right-wing and conservative parties. As the sun broke through the clouds during his speech, Orbán stressed, however, that it was time to focus on a peace deal for Ukraine more than two years after Russia invaded the country.
He expressed support for his close anti-war ally Robert Fico, the prime minister of neighboring Slovakia, who nearly died after an assassination attempt last month.
Organizers of the 10th Peace March rally had hoped for bigger crowds of “hundreds of thousands of people”, though the crowd was still large. Worthy News witnessed many people bussed in from across Hungary.
MANY BUSES
Buses awaiting returning demonstrators stretched nearly a mile (1.6 kilometers) along the Danube River. “I wished there would have been more people,” said 23-year-old Eszter Kovács, a teacher at a primary school. “But I was happy to be here because I am Hungarian,” she told Worthy News while walking with her family and friends.
She said she enjoyed the prime minister’s speech: “We want this war in Ukraine to end. I don’t have children yet but am very concerned about my sister’s children.”
Orbán’s government has warned that the EU wants to send youngsters to war in Ukraine to help outnumbered Ukrainian troops fight against Russian forces. Brussels says there are no such plans, even though French President Emmanuel Macron has publicly suggested sending ground troops to help Kyiv end Russia’s aggression.
Worthy News also established that NATO military alliance forces are already in Ukraine, though Brussels and Washington have tried to play down their presence.
Yet Orbán’s anti-war stance has led to further tensions with the EU, which already withheld tens of billions of euros in funding over the rule of law concerns and a crackdown on independent media.
Orbán, one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders, said he had been punished for his country’s anti-migration and traditional Christian family views.
He told the crowd Saturday it’s time to take over Europe through the ballot box.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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