Our Homeland Movement
Our Homeland Movement (Hungarian: Mi Hazánk Mozgalom, MHM) is a Hungarian far-right political party. It was founded by Ásotthalom mayor and former Jobbik Vice-President, László Toroczkai, along with other Jobbik dissidents that left the organization after the party's leadership moved away from its radical beginnings.
Our Homeland Movement Mi Hazánk Mozgalom | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | MH; MHM |
| President | László Toroczkai |
| Deputy President | Dóra Dúró |
| Vice Presidents | István Apáti Dávid Dócs Előd Novák Zoltán Pakusza |
| General Secretary | István Szabadi |
| Founder | László Toroczkai |
| Founded | 23 June 2018 |
| Registered | 20 August 2018 |
| Split from | Jobbik |
| Headquarters | 1085 Budapest, József krt. 43. |
| Newspaper | Magyar Jelen |
| Youth wing | Youth of Our Homeland |
| Paramilitary wing | Nemzeti Légió (2019–2020) Magyar Önvédelmi Mozgalom (2020–)[1] |
| Membership (2022) | 2500-3000[2] |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-right[8][9] |
| Colours | Green White |
| Slogan | Minden magyar felelős minden magyarért! (transl. Every Hungarian is responsible for every Hungarian!) (Dezső Szabó) |
| National Assembly | 6 / 199 |
| European Parliament | 0 / 21 |
| County Assemblies | 9 / 381 |
| General Assembly of Budapest | 0 / 33 |
| Website | |
| mihazank | |
The party ran for the first time in the 2019 European Parliament elections, but did not win a seat. However, in the 2022 parliamentary election, it became the third largest party in the country with a result of nearly 6%, far surpassing public opinion research.
History edit
On 14 October 2018, the party's politicians announced the party would organize a youth wing. On November 7, 2018, László Toroczkai announced to the media that 3 former Jobbik politicians, István Apáti, Erik Fülöp and János Volner joined his political party. János Volner later left.[10]
In early 2019, the party made an alliance with the right-wing Hungarian Justice and Life Party and the agrarian Independent Smallholders, Agrarian Workers and Civic Party.[11]
In May 2019, it was announced the party would be forming the National Legion, a uniformed 'self-defense' group similar to Magyar Gárda, the paramilitary wing Jobbik, which was banned in 2009.[12][13]
In 2019 local elections, the party won 8 seats in counties' assemblies.
In the 2022 parliamentary election, the party surpassed the 5% threshold to enter parliament, winning 6 seats and forming the second largest faction in the Hungarian Parliament.
In 2022, the party hosted representatives of Alternative for Sweden (AfS), Alternative for Germany (AfD), the Dutch Forum for Democracy (FvD) and the Bulgarian Revival party at the Hungarian-Serbian border, describing them as "allies".[14] Our Homeland Movement party leader László Toroczkai, as well as AfD's Stefan Korte, both held individual speeches at AfS's election campaign meeting held in Rålambshovsparken in Stockholm on 6 August 2022.[15]
In August 2023, the party organized a joint 'Declaration for a free Europe of Nations' with the AfS, FvD, Revival, the Czech Republic's Freedom and Direct Democracy and the Swiss Mass-Voll party, with a view towards forming a future new group in the European Parliament.[16]
Ideology edit
Although the party identifies itself as "third way", opposing the policies of both the left-wing opposition and the right-wing governing party Fidesz, Our Homeland Movement and its ideology has been variously described by the mass-media as nationalist,[17] right-wing populist,[18] far-right,[8][9] radical right,[19] extremist,[20] and even as neo-fascist by the European Roma Rights Centre.[21] The party has anti-immigration,[7] anti-Masonry[22] and pro-Russian views,[23][24] and was additionally accused of being anti-Islam,[23] of antiziganism,[25][26] antisemitism[27][28] and neo-fascism.[29][30] The party holds national conservative,[5] traditionalist[31] and social conservative positions.[32]
The party also positioned themselves as agrarianist.[33] According to the movement, Hungary should become economically independent, and to this end, the party would create hundreds of small and large food processing plants in the country and announce a new land distribution program.[34] With the distribution of land, they would like to favor young Hungarians in particular.[35] They would re-establish the Hangya Szövetkezet (Ant Cooperative)[36] that existed in Hungary in the first half of the 20th century, whose task was to ensure that farmers achieved a good position in the market, allowing their interests to prevail.[37]
The movement holds anti-communist views.[38] The party demands the disclosure of agent lists, the accountability of party state leaders – for example, MSZMP leaders, KISZ secretaries, Workers' Militia and ÁVH members – and their ban from public life, as well as the withdrawal of communist luxury pensions.[39] The party considers the Antifa movement a terrorist organization.[40][41] They support the demolition of statues containing communist symbols, such as the Soviet Heroic Monument on Liberty Square.[42]
To curb corruption,[43] they would abolish immunity. They oppose joining the European Public Prosecutor's Office,[44] instead wishing to establish a Hungarian Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office.[45] The executive board of the organization would include prosecutors delegated by the government and the opposition, as well as non-parliamentary social organizations.[46]
The party supports the autonomy of Hungarian communities abroad, for example the Székely autonomy movement and the Hungarian Regional Autonomy.[47] They would support education of the Hungarian diaspora in the Hungarian language from kindergarten to university, as well as the use of Hungarian national symbols.[48][49] The party wishes to establish the day of the signing of the Second Vienna Award as a holiday, called the Day of Homecoming, to commemorate the territorial revisions recovered by regent Miklós Horthy.[50]
The party strongly opposes LGBT rights.[51] After the release of a children's book, Meseország mindenkié, which features LGBT members and ethnic minorities as characters, the Deputy President of the party, Dóra Dúró, referred to the book as "homosexual propaganda" during a press conference, and promptly ripped pages out of the book and then shredded them. The move caused significant controversy and garnered international attention.[52] The party has called for a ban on LGBT pride marches.[53][54]
In an interview with Mandiner, party leader László Toroczkai described MHM as "a unique green party in Europe", stating that "we are unwilling to accept that only anti-social and anti-human liberal parties can be green parties. We think that those who do not want to protect our environment, our forests, our beautiful Great Plain, Lake Balaton, our rivers cannot really love their homeland". Thus, the party is sometimes referred to as supporting some form of green conservatism.[5]
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the party has protested lockdown measures set in place by the government, accusing them of "inciting panic" and ruining the country.[55] The party also promotes vaccine hesitancy, having launched a petition against the use of COVID-vaccines on children aged 12–15.[56]
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the party referred to Ukraine as an "unfriendly country" and called on it to give up territory claimed by Russia "for the sake of peace".[57][58] They did not support sanctions against Russia and voted against Finland's[59] and Sweden's[60] accession to NATO. On 27 January 2024 Toroczkai said at a conference that the party would lay claim to a Hungarian-populated region in western Ukraine if the war led to Ukraine losing its statehood.[61]
The party supports the reintroduction of the death penalty, and conscription.[62][63][64] They support the re-establishment of the Hungarian Border Guard,[65] the development of the Hungarian national defence and military industry.[66] However, they oppose the participation of Hungarian soldiers in international missions.[67][68]
The movement would initiate a referendum on Hungary's withdrawal from the European Union.[69][70] They believe that Western European multinational companies take more profits out of the country than money comes in from the EU.[71] They completely reject the European Federalism.[72] Instead, they prefer nationalist nation-states. As a result, Mi Hazánk has been described as nationalist,[73] and eurosceptic.[74]
In education, their goal is to modernize the curriculum and reduce the amount of current curriculum. They believe that IT, English and physical education should be given priority. In addition, they consider the nationalist education of young Hungarians and their education for family life to be important. They support the creation of Christian and nationalist children's movements, such as the Levente Movement. In the summer of 2023, they started such camps in several settlements of the country. The party supports the segregation of Hungarian and Roma pupils in educational institutions.[75] However, according to the party's official position, students would be segregated based on their behavior rather than their nationality.[76]
Organizational structure edit
Leaders edit
| Image | Name | Entered office | Left office | Length of Leadership | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | László Toroczkai | 23 June 2018 | present | 5 years, 9 months and 18 days |
Membership edit
Electoral results edit
National Assembly edit
| Election | Leader | Constituency | Party list | Seats | +/– | Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |||||
| 2022 | László Toroczkai | 307,064 | 5.71% (#3) | 332,487 | 5.88% (#3) | 6 / 199 | New | Opposition |
European Parliament edit
| Election year | # of overall votes | % of overall vote | # of overall seats won | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 114,156 | 3.29% (6th) | 0 / 21 | – |
Mayoral, the last elections was in 2019:
- Ásotthalom – László Toroczkai (2013–2022)[79]
- Cserháthaláp – Dávid Dócs (since 2015)[80]
- Homorúd – Balázs Éberling (since 2019)[81]
References edit
- ^ "A Nemzeti Légió beolvadt a Magyar Önvédelmi Mozgalomba". Magyar Jelen (in Hungarian). December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ a b "A Mi Hazánk lett a legerősebb ellenzéki párt, második a DK, harmadik a Momentum". YouTube. May 15, 2022.
- ^ Cseresnyés, Péter (November 18, 2018). "Horthy Commemoration Revives Political Debate over His Regentship". Hungary Today. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ "Toroczkai: Történelmet csinálunk". Magyar Nemzet (in Hungarian). January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
- ^ a b c Pálfy, Dániel Ábel (September 2, 2019). "Bármikor vállalom az átvilágítást! – Toroczkai László a Mandinernek". Mandiner. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ "Mi Hazánk Party Aims to Protect "Northern Civilisation"". Hungary Today. January 28, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ a b Vass, Ábrahám (May 21, 2019). "Mi Hazánk's EP Program: 'Roma Problem', Opposing Migration, Russia-Friendly Politicsp". Hungary Today. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Szijarto, Imre (June 14, 2020). "The Decline of Democracy in Hungary Is a Troubling Vision of the Future". Jacobin (magazine). Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Cseresnyés, Péter (April 29, 2020). "Mi Hazánk Leader Sues Facebook for Damage to Reputation". Hungary Today. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ "Az exjobbikos Volner János: Nekünk nem lesz oligarchánk". origo.hu (in Hungarian). November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- ^ "A Független Kisgazdapárt is csatlakozna a MIÉP és a Mi Hazánk Mozgalom együttműködéséhez". Magyar Narancs (in Hungarian). February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ "Hungary far-right party forms uniformed 'self-defense' group". Fox News. May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ "The National Legion — Far-right launches new paramilitary group in Hungary". Hungarian Free Press. May 15, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ @AfS_riks (July 28, 2022). "Alternativ för Sveriges @feymark besöker vårt ungerska systerparti Mi Hazank tillsammans med @AfD och @fvdemocratie. Mi Hazank kom in i det ungerska parlamentet tidigare i år och ser fram emot att samarbeta med andra partier som står upp för nationernas Europa!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Ungersk partiledare talar på valupptakten". alternativforsverige.se (in Swedish). Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ "A "Declaration for a free Europe of Nations" announcing a possible new European group". Visegrad Post. August 29, 2023.
- ^ Caspar, Yann (January 25, 2022). "Wird Mi Hazánk bei den Wahlen am 3. April für eine Überraschung sorgen?". Visegrád Post. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ György, Károly (2020). "Hungarian right-wing populism: Nothing is what it seems". International Union Rights. 27 (1): 12–13. doi:10.14213/inteuniorigh.27.1-2.0012. S2CID 226463204.
- ^ "Rechts vor links". Budapester Zeitung. August 11, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ "Tension flares between Roma and nationalist extremists in Hungary". The Japan Times. May 22, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Rorke, Bernard (October 7, 2021). "Budapest: Municipality votes to evict far-right Mi Hazánk from their office after anti-Roma racist poster scandal". errc.org. European Roma Rights Centre. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ "Novák Előd: Szabadkőműves páholyokat támogat a Fidesz-kormány". 24.hu (in Hungarian). December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Krekó, Péter; Hunyadi, Bulcsú; Szicherle, Patrik (July 24, 2019). "Anti-Muslim populism in Hungary: From the margins to the mainstream". brookings.edu. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- ^ Tóth, Richárd (August 1, 2019). "Magyarországra köszöntött a muszlimellenes populizmus kora". HVG (in Hungarian). Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- ^ Schwartz, Yaakov (April 6, 2022). "Hungary's most radical nationalist party since WWII just won 7 seats in parliament". The Times of Israel. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ "Hungary far-right protest stokes fears of anti-Roma violence". France 24. May 21, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Haines, John R. (July 10, 2018). "A New Political Movement Emerges on Hungary's Far Right". fpri.org. Foreign Policy Research Institute. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ "Observations on the current state of Hungarian far-right". Heinrich Böll Stiftung.
- ^ Ben-Ghiat, Ruth (April 11, 2022). "The GOP has found a Putin-lite to fawn over. That's bad news for democracy". MSNBC. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ Jacqueline Bhabha; Margareta Matache (June 3, 2020). "Anti-Roma hatred on streets of Budapest". Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ "Mi Hazánk Party Aims to Protect "Northern Civilisation"". Hungary Today. January 28, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ "A Mi Hazánk szerint 50 százalékos béremelés volna igazságos a postásoknak". mihazánk.hu (in Hungarian). July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ^ "Demográfiai földprogramot szorgalmaz a Mi Hazánk". Mandiner (in Hungarian). August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ "Új földosztás kell, hogy minél több földet műveljenek meg a magyarok". index.hu. May 12, 2022.
- ^ "Földet oszt a Mi Hazánk". mandiner.hu. September 16, 2020.
- ^ "Virradat Program" (PDF). mihazank.hu.
- ^ "Hangyaszövetkezet". www.hangyaszov.hu.
- ^ . Makó Híradó (in Hungarian). November 3, 2019. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ "Virradat Program" (PDF). mihazank.hu.
- ^ "Az Antifa terrorszervezetté nyilvánítását követeli a Mi Hazánk". March 30, 2023.
- ^ "Leszavazták a parlamentben az ANTIFA terrorszervezetté minősítését!". mihazank.hu. June 15, 2023.
- ^ "A Mi Hazánk antikommunista követelései a kommunizmus áldozatainak emléknapján". mihazank.hu. February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Mi Hazánk: nyomozást rendeltek el László Imre volt kabinetfőnökének ügyében". ATV (in Hungarian). March 27, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Felszólalás". parlament.hu.
- ^ "Korrupcióellenes ügyészséget állítana fel a Mi Hazánk". mandiner.hu. March 29, 2019.
- ^ "Virradat Program" (PDF). mihazank.hu.
- ^ "Tüzet gyújt a Mi Hazánk az Érsekkertben a székely autonómia napján". heol.hu. October 26, 2022.
- ^ "Virradat Program" (PDF). mihazank.hu.
- ^ "Autonómiát Kárpátaljának! – Tüntetett a Mi Hazánk". mihazank.hu. March 4, 2022.
- ^ "Észak-Erdély visszacsatolásának napját ünnepelné a Mi Hazánk". pestihirlap.hu. May 22, 2020.
- ^ "Hungary's LGBTQ community braces for 'propaganda' bill". France 24. July 8, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Haynes, Suyin (October 8, 2020). "A Children's Book Is Becoming a Symbol of Resistance in Hungary's Fight Over LGBT Rights". Time. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ "Mi Hazánk Demands Ban on Pride March". Hungary Today. June 26, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ "The Visegrad Group: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia | Mi Hazank demands ban on gay march". visegradgroup.eu. June 25, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ Spike, Justin (April 20, 2021). "Hungarian far-right party protests lockdown". AP NEWS. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ "Mi Hazánk Launches Petition Against Vaccination Rollout for Children". Hungary Today. July 13, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Dániel, Dér (October 14, 2022). "A Mi Hazánk barátságtalan országnak minősíti Ukrajnát". Mi Hazánk Mozgalom (in Hungarian). Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ^ "Dúró Dóra a Russia Today-nek: Ukrajnának a béke érdekében le kell mondania területekről | Mandiner". mandiner.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ^ Dániel, Dér (March 11, 2023). "Béketüntetést tart március 15-én a Mi Hazánk, a NATO-bővítés vétóját is követelve". Mi Hazánk Mozgalom (in Hungarian). Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ^ Higgins, Andrew (February 26, 2024). "Hungary's Parliament Approves Sweden's NATO Bid After Stalling". The New York Times. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ "Hungary's Far Right Would Lay Claim To Neighboring Region If Ukraine Loses War". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Reuters. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ "Mi Hazánk Calls for Public Debate on Possibility of Reinstating Death Penalty". Hungary Today. February 3, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ "New Hungarian radical party in favour of death penalty". Daily News Hungary. July 26, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- ^ "Virradat Program" (PDF). June 14, 2022.
- ^ "Határozottabb fellépést a déli határon – önálló határőrséget!". mihazank.hu. December 20, 2022.
- ^ "Államilag támogatott hadiiparfejlesztést sürget a Mi Hazánk". sikerado.hu. June 30, 2022.
- ^ "A Koszovóban pajzsként használt honvédjeink hazahozatalát követeli a Mi Hazánk". mihazank.hu. May 30, 2023.
- ^ "Mi Hazánk: Afganisztán helyett a magyar határra menjenek a magyar katonák!". mandiner.hu. March 17, 2019.
- ^ "A Mi Hazánk ügydöntő népszavazást tartana az EU-tagságról". 24.hu. August 11, 2022.
- ^ "A Mi Hazánk az unió utáni életre készülne, de még nem akar erről népszavazást". telex.hu. August 11, 2022.
- ^ "Virradat Program" (PDF). mihazank.hu.
- ^ "Mi Hazánk: az Európai Unió globalista birodalomként működik – videóval". dehir.hu. March 17, 2022.
- ^ Caspar, Yann (January 25, 2022). "Wird Mi Hazánk bei den Wahlen am 3. April für eine Überraschung sorgen?". Visegrád Post. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ "A Mi Hazánk azt követeli, hogy Magyarország ne fizessen az EU-s kasszába". index.hu. November 24, 2022.
- ^ "Dúró Dóra: a Mi Hazánk szegregálna". 24.hu (in Hungarian). January 6, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ "Virradat Program" (PDF). mihazank.hu.
- ^ "Magyarországi párttagok száma 2019". June 18, 2019.
- ^ "Mi Hazánk tagok száma 2020". YouTube.
- ^ "Helyi önkormányzati választások 2019 - Ásotthalom (Csongrád megye)". Választás. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
- ^ "Helyi önkormányzati választások 2019 - Cserháthaláp (Nógrád megye)". Választás. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
- ^ "Éberling Balázzsal, Homorúd polgármesterével bővült a Mi Hazánk Mozgalom". YouTube. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
External links edit
- Our Homeland website