Lockdown party MEP’s behavior ‘indefensible,’ says Viktor Orbán

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Wednesday condemned the actions of one of his oldest political allies, József Szájer, after the Hungarian MEP attended a party broken up by Brussels police.

Szájer, a longtime member of the European Parliament and of Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party, admitted on Tuesday that he took part in a “lockdown party” last week. Police found 25 naked men at the gathering, according to the Belgian press — a violation of Belgium’s coronavirus restrictions.

In a short interview with pro-government newspaper Magyar Nemzet on Wednesday evening, Orbán said that “what our representative, József Szájer, did has no place in the values of our political family.”

While noting that Szájer’s work will not be forgotten, the prime minister said that “his deed is unacceptable and indefensible.” 

The public prosecutor’s office said that a passer-by reported he had seen a man fleeing along the gutter — leading the police to apprehend Szájer, finding narcotics in his backpack. Szájer said police gave him “an official verbal warning.” He said he had not taken drugs and that he “deeply” regretted breaking COVID restrictions.

Szájer announced over the weekend that he was resigning as a member of the European Parliament. On Wednesday, he also quit Fidesz, which he helped found in 1988.

The Hungarian government has cracked down on LGBTQI rights and last week, along with Poland, voiced strong opposition to a gender equality plan for EU foreign policy that seeks to bolster women’s, girls’ and LGBTQI rights worldwide by “challenging gender norms and stereotypes.”