At the annual “Day of Honour” in Budapest, thousands of neo-Nazis once again took part in an “escape march”. One counter-protest was able to take place, while another, including a press conference, was stifled by the police.
On Saturday, several thousand European right-wing extremists once again marched 60 kilometres for the “Day of Honour” from Buda Castle in the Hungarian capital to the village of Szomor. It is the highlight of the international neo-Nazi gathering initiated in Budapest in 1997 by the “Hungarian National Front”. This “escape march” commemorates the fallen soldiers of the Hungarian fascist Arrow Cross militia who fled the capital in 1945 ahead of the Red Army.
As is customary at the event, many participants wore faithful reproductions of Wehrmacht and SS uniforms with the corresponding insignia. Clearly visible were also neo-Nazis wearing relevant clothing and patches, including members of “Der dritte Weg” and the party “Junge Nationale” from Germany. Members of the “Identitarian Movement” had also travelled to attend. The far-right Hungarian party “Mi Hazánk” supported the event with a merchandising stand.
The march was officially declared non-political. Nevertheless, participants posed with banners, Hitler salutes and deactivated firearms. Wreaths were laid at the graves of deceased fascists. The police also took no action against a “hiking pass” in which participants receive a stamp bearing Nazi symbols.
The situation was different for the anti-fascist counter-protest, which was banned for the first time this year: in September 2025, the government had categorised “Antifa groups” across the board as “terrorist organisations”. The background included acts of violence in the so-called “Budapest Complex”, in which alleged or actual participants in the “Day of Honour” were injured in 2023.
Despite the ban, an alliance of KZ-Verband Wien from Austria, the German Association of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime – Federation of Anti-Fascists (VVN-BdA), the Hungarian Association of Hungarian Resistance Fighters (MEASZ) and the International Federation of Resistance Fighters (FIR) travelled to Budapest. In solidarity against the repression in Budapest, the FIR held its general assembly there over the weekend.
On Friday, MEASZ organised a commemoration with 80 participants at the “Martyrs’ Memorial” on the Danube in the north of Budapest – without disruption, but under police observation. On Saturday, a press conference followed near Margaret Bridge, attended also by the father of Maja T., who was sentenced in early February to eight years’ imprisonment in the “Budapest Complex”.
The press conference, with around 50 participants, was ended by the police after three quarters of an hour. The personal details of those present were recorded; handbags and jackets were searched, and they were photographed. The politician Attila Vajnai (Hungarian Workers’ Party) had assumed responsibility – it is now being examined whether he must expect legal proceedings.
In a speech, Wolfram Jarosch, the father of Maja T., said that anti-fascism today more than ever means standing up for democracy, the rule of law and human dignity. “Violence is the wrong way,” Jarosch also said.
The anti-fascist organisations from Hungary, Germany and Austria had initially intended to invite the Hungarian Holocaust survivor Katalin Sommer to this year’s protest – however, this was impossible due to the ban. In a joint statement, they criticised the criminalisation of anti-fascism. “Many years ago, the FIR slogan was ‘Never again an SS Europe!’ – evidently the slogan is more relevant than ever feared.”
Published in German in „nd“.
Image: Wreath bearing the German-language inscription “Their honour was called loyalty. Brothers of Honour 28” in Budapest.
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