Hungarian minister’s remarks link Roma community to train toilet cleaning: Roma teacher responds

Hungary’s Construction and Transport Minister, János Lázár, has issued a public apology after remarks he made about the Roma community and train toilet cleaning duties caused a nationwide backlash, drawing criticism from civil organisations, politicians, and members of the Roma intelligentsia.

The controversy began at a public forum held in Balatonalmádi, where Lázár was responding to a question about Hungary’s demographic challenges and labour shortages. During his answer, the minister argued that Hungary should rely on its “internal reserves” rather than migrant labour, explicitly referring to the country’s Roma population.

“Internal reserves” instead of migration

Lázár stated that Hungary’s decision to keep its borders closed to migrants means that labour shortages must be addressed domestically. According to him, the country’s “reserve” lies not in immigration, but within Hungarian society itself.

He went on to say that if there are no migrants and someone needs to clean the toilets on InterCity trains — a job he claimed Hungarian voters are reluctant to apply for — then the solution is to “tap into internal reserves”, which he described as Hungary’s Roma community.

Although Lázár stressed that he did not intend to target anyone personally, his remarks were widely perceived as stigmatising and discriminatory, particularly because they appeared to associate the Roma population with low-status work.

Claims of integration and work-based society

In his speech, the minister argued that one of the government’s greatest successes has been creating educational and employment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of Roma citizens. He linked this to Hungary’s family support policies, claiming they resulted in the birth of around 200,000 additional children, alongside what he described as successful Roma integration through work.

Lázár also emphasised that social cooperation depends on everyone following the “rules of the game”, including working if able and obeying the law. Those who do so, he said, can expect support from society and the majority population.

Public reaction and Roma self-government response

The remarks quickly spread online and triggered strong reactions on social media, where both Roma and non-Roma users condemned the statements. Critics argued that Lázár’s comments reinforced harmful stereotypes and reduced an entire community to a labour reserve.

The National Roma Self-Government of Hungary called on the minister to clarify and correct his words, urging him to clearly affirm that the Roma community is regarded as a partner by the government rather than a stigmatised group.

Lázár issues apology in Kaposvár

Two days later, at a meeting of so-called “digital civic circles” in Kaposvár, Lázár publicly apologised for his remarks.

“I apologise for it, I truly regret it,” he said, adding that he wished to personally ask forgiveness from Roma Hungarians who felt hurt by his words, Telex wrote.

At the event, he greeted Roma Hungarians separately, thanking them for what he described as decades of shared struggle and cooperation. He also reiterated that he believes everyone who is able to work should do so, and that the government’s responsibility is to create jobs for Hungarian citizens rather than immigrants.

Lázár stressed that all forms of work deserve respect, including cleaning jobs, saying: “Respect to workers, and respect to cleaning staff as well.”

“Not against Roma people, but for them”

The minister insisted that his intention was to highlight the importance of work and inclusion, not to offend. He claimed that his words had been deliberately interpreted as a racial issue by critics, but said he wanted to “set things right”.

According to Lázár, Hungary’s future depends on integrating all Hungarian citizens into the labour market, regardless of ethnicity. He also stated that both nationally and in Somogy County, Roma Hungarians represent an important social and economic reserve.

Open letter from a Roma teacher

Sándor Gáspár, a Roma-born Hungarian teacher, published a widely shared open letter strongly criticising the minister’s rhetoric.

In his letter, Gáspár wrote that he himself is proof that Lázár’s framing is wrong, arguing that Roma citizens should not be treated as a “problem” or a logistical challenge to be managed. He accused the minister of using cold, technocratic language that reduces human lives to statistics and labour capacity.

Gáspár also referenced earlier political statements and decisions related to Roma communities, including past comments on integration and controversial court rulings, arguing that trust in equal treatment under the law has been repeatedly undermined.

“Countries can be built from concrete,” he wrote, “but nations can only be built from people.”

This was not Lázár’s first “slip-up”: Fidesz’s Minister of Transport called Tisza Party’s Hungarian candidate Slovakian – UPDATE: Lázár’s “apology”