ANDY NGO REPORTS: Hungarian Police speak with TPM about suspected Antifa attacks in Budapest

Eight men and women in the Hungarian capital were beaten by groups of masked militants in four separate attacks starting on Feb. 9. CCTV footage of one of the attacks showed a man who was walking to work at Gazdagréti Square suddenly being hit on the head from behind by a group of seven using baton-like weapons. The man, who identified himself to local media as Zoltán T., was subject to repeated blows from the group while on the ground and was left drenched in blood before they covered him in pepper spray. Police have stated the majority of the other attacks unfolded similarly.

The footage went viral on social media, shocking both Hungarians and social media users around the world. Violent street crime and political violence are rare in Hungary.

“According to the investigation, the attacks were motivated by Antifa ideology,” a spokesperson for the Hungarian National Police tells TPM. “The victims were chosen solely by their clothing: they were wearing camouflage-patterned or military-type items, and, or boots.” The spokesperson said at least one victim was asked about their political beliefs.

The attack of Zoltán T. mirrors a 2019 Antifa attack on Adam Kelly in Portland, Ore. Kelly was hit with a baton overhead blow by Antifa member Gage Halupowski as he tried to help an elderly man who was bleeding on the ground during a riot in downtown. Halupowski was convicted and sentenced to nearly six years in state prison. His violent actions continue to be praised by Antifa.

In 2019, a Portland man was similarly assaulted on the head by an Antifa member whose actions continue to be praised by the violent extremist movement

The victims beaten in Budapest varied in their nationalities, with Poles, Germans and Hungarians being assaulted.

t a press conference on Feb. 13, law enforcement announced that four suspects were arrested by the Budapest Metropolitan Police and charged with various violent offences related to preparing and carrying out violence against a member of the public. They were found carrying metal batons, rubber-covered hammers and pepper spray. Three out of the four are from other EU countries, suggesting a possible international conspiracy. German conservative newspaper Junge Freiheit reported that German extremist far-left groups connected to Antifa had used social media to call for comrades to travel to Hungary to oppose a far-right rally on Feb. 11 in the Castle District.

Police released the suspects’ initials, age, sex and nationality. Many European countries have strict privacy laws for criminal suspects as a legacy of mass domestic spying under prior Communist regimes.

Those arrested:

• 29-year-old German male T. E. (German media named him as Tobias E).

• 38-year-old Italian female I.S.

• 42-year-old Hungarian woman K.D., named in local media as Krisztina Dobos.

• 26-year-old German female A.M., named in media as Anna M. Unlike the prior three who are in custody, she was placed under criminal supervision pending the investigation.

“The Budapest Metropolitan Police formed an investigation team designated to this case, and are carrying out a manhunt for the remaining perpetrators,” the police spokesperson tells TPM. “Also, we have initiated the European Arrest Warrants.” European Arrest Warrants require another EU country to arrest and extradite the suspect to the country that issued the warrant.

On Feb. 14, two additional Germans wanted in connection with the Budapest attacks were identified. Hungarian Police asked the public to help locate 22-year-old Clara Judith Wittkugel, from Henstedt-Ulzburg, and 20-year-old Moritz Christian Leopold Schroeter, from Leipzig. Their released mugshots from prior incidents suggest they have a criminal history in Germany.

German national and suspected Antifa member Clara Judith Wittkugel is wanted by law enforcement in Hungary

German national and suspected Antifa member Moritz Christian Leopold Schroeter is wanted by Hungarian police

The police spokesperson declined to comment about how border-free travel within the EU’s Schengen zone could be further exploited by international criminals but stated: “The police will not tolerate committing such serious crimes regardless of political views, nationality or country of residence.”