German newspaper Der Spiegel has reported how Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has once again provoked controversy by making reference to a ‘greater Hungary’.
The Hungarian PM was, knowingly, filmed wearing a scarf that showed a map of Hungary which included parts of EU countries Austria, Slovakia, Romania and Croatia during a national team football match on Sunday evening. As well as these nations, regions of both Serbia and Ukraine were included in the map. These areas belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary up until the end of the First World War.
This is not the first time that Orban has caused upset through a reference to larger Hungary. In 2020, he posted a photo online of a globe that showed the borders of the Kingdom of Hungary as they once were, causing irritation, particularly in Croatia and Romania.
Hungary lost these territories in 1920, following the Treaty of Trianon. This event is still considered to be a historical disgrace by some in the country.
During Orban’s premiership, there have been ongoing disputes between Hungary and its neighbouring countries regarding the rights of ethnic Hungarians living in the former territories of the kingdom. Under Orban’s governments, these people were generously given Hungarian passports – a move that was criticised especially since it happened in the run-up to Hungarian elections.
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