A major political controversy broke out after the inaugural session of Hungary’s new parliament, when MPs from the far-right opposition party Mi Hazánk Mozgalom walked out of the chamber during the ceremonial programme. The scene sparked outrage among many viewers and politicians, particularly because the walkout coincided with the entrance of a group of tambura-playing children performing at the event.
Several politicians and public figures sharply criticised the party afterwards, including Hungary’s newly sworn-in prime minister, Péter Magyar.
“The walkout of Mi Hazánk representatives during the performance of the tambura-playing children, as well as during the Szózat and the Hungarian national anthem, was completely unacceptable,” Magyar wrote on Facebook.
Meanwhile, László Toroczkai, leader of Mi Hazánk, claimed his party had been deliberately “set up”, arguing that the situation was the result of a pre-planned political manoeuvre.
Walkout coincided with children entering the chamber
Mi Hazánk — a nationalist, Eurosceptic party known for its hardline positions on immigration and minority issues — had already announced days before the opening session that it objected to several elements of the ceremony.
The party criticised the inclusion of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy (widely used as the anthem of the European Union) alongside Hungary’s national anthem and the Szózat, another important patriotic song. Mi Hazánk also criticised the performance of the song “Zöld az erdő, zöld a hegy is”, a well-known Roma anthem in Hungary, arguing that other anthems should not be placed alongside Hungary’s national symbols.
Before the session, party leader Toroczkai announced that Mi Hazánk MPs would leave the chamber before Ode to Joy was played, because, according to the party, the European Union cannot have an official anthem since it is not a sovereign state.
However, the MPs eventually walked out just as the tambura-playing children entered the chamber, leading many observers to interpret the move as a protest against the children’s performance as well.
The famous 100 Member Gypsy Orchestra also reacted to the incident in a Facebook statement, saying they watched the walkout with shock and sadness. According to the orchestra, the children from the Sükösd Danubia Tambura Orchestra arrived at Parliament “with pure hearts, joy and love for music”, making the scene especially painful.
“Turning your back on children because of their origin is not a political statement, but unacceptable exclusion,” the orchestra wrote.
Mi Hazánk later rejected that interpretation in a separate statement.
“Of course we did not walk out because of the Sükösd Danubia Tambura Orchestra, and especially not because of the children’s background,” the party wrote on Facebook.
According to Mi Hazánk, they had originally intended to leave the chamber before Ode to Joy, but claimed the order of the programme was changed at the last minute, causing their walkout to coincide with the children entering the chamber.
The performance by the Sükösd Danubia Tambura Orchestra’s children’s group, shared by Prime Minister Péter Magyar:
Toroczkai says Mi Hazánk was set up
After the backlash, Toroczkai responded in a post on X, saying that in hindsight he believes his party had “naively walked into a trap”.
“They set a professional trap for us, and we naively walked right into it. We cannot afford to be this careless again,” he wrote.
Toroczkai also claimed the controversy distracted attention from other parliamentary decisions made during the opening session, including what he described as the abolition of an advertising tax affecting global media companies.
The Mi Hazánk leader further argued that the governing Tisza Party had intentionally tried to connect the walkout with the children’s performance. He also accused Prime Minister Péter Magyar of deliberately avoiding any mention of the EU anthem in his criticism.
Prime minister Péter Magyar later responded sharply to those accusations in the comments section of the post.
“No matter how much you lie, you will never wash away the shame that you tried to humiliate children and were not even willing to sing the Hungarian national anthem or the Szózat. Not even the Székely anthem that you yourselves had initiated,” he wrote.
In another recent controversy involving Hungary’s Roma community: Hungarian minister’s remarks link Roma community to train toilet cleaning: Roma teacher responds
A tense start to Hungary’s new parliamentary cycle
Although the political controversy somewhat overshadowed the ceremonial aspects of the opening session, many public figures highlighted the symbolic importance of a Roma anthem being performed in the Hungarian Parliament.
At the same time, the walkout sparked outrage among several politicians and public figures, while Mi Hazánk continued to insist that the party had not protested against the children or their performance, but against the playing of the EU anthem.
The controversy quickly became one of the first major political conflicts of Hungary’s new parliamentary cycle, highlighting the increasingly tense relationship between the Tisza Party and Mi Hazánk already during the very first sitting of the new legislature.
More on the topic: Hungarian prank party adorns Budapest gypsy musicians’ memorial with toilet brushes after minister’s scandalous remarks – photos
Cover photo: Screenshot from OrszággyűlésÉLŐ / YouTube
