The Hungarian Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto, urged the European Union on Saturday to follow the example of American President Donald Trump and classify the Antifa movement, which brings together far-left groups defining themselves as antifascist, as a terrorist organization, AFP reports.
„Hungary is convinced that, in such a crucial issue, Europe must align its actions with those of the United States,” wrote Peter Szijjarto on X, publishing a letter to the EU’s chief of foreign policy, Kaja Kallas.
The Antifa movement, "this violent far-left network, has carried out brutal attacks across Europe, including in Budapest," he said.
"To our great regret, the suspects subsequently evaded justice by finding refuge in EU member states, which have refused to extradite them to Hungary," he stated in the letter addressed to the European diplomatic chief.
He mentioned the case of Italian antifascist activist Ilaria Salis, to whom "immunity was granted after becoming a member of the European Parliament."
Ilaria Salis was arrested in February 2023, along with other activists, such as German activist Maja T., in Budapest, while protesting against the "Day of Honor," an annual commemoration organized by neo-Nazi circles.
Her election to the European Parliament in June 2024 led to the lifting of house arrest in Hungary, where she had previously been imprisoned for over a year.
Wednesday, a week after the assassination of ultra-conservative activist Charlie Kirk, American President Donald Trump designated the Antifa movement as a "terrorist" organization.
Emerging in the United States after Donald Trump's election in 2016, the Antifa movement is more of a movement than an organized group. Devoid of leaders or a formal structure, it instead refers to informal groups operating independently, according to American historian Mark Bray, the author of a seminal book on the subject.