Orbán: Budapest Is Europe’s Safest City for Jews — ‘This Is What a Modern Capital Looks Like’

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán declared that Jews are safer in Budapest than anywhere else in Europe, pointing to strict immigration controls and zero tolerance for antisemitism as the foundation of what a modern European capital “ought to be.”

Orbán made the remarks Tuesday during a Fidesz party nomination rally in Budapest and amplified them Wednesday in a post on X, attaching video from the speech.

“Jewish communities are safer in Budapest than anywhere else in Europe,” Orbán wrote. “Zero tolerance for antisemitism, no hate crimes, no violent migrants. This is how a modern European capital ought to be.”

In his address, Orbán emphasized that the level of security enjoyed by Jews in Hungary’s capital is unmatched across the continent.

“In our capital, Jewish families and Jewish communities are safer than anywhere else in Europe,” he said, adding that “There is no other European country where Jewish communities living in the capital enjoy even a comparable sense of security to what they have here in Budapest.”

Orbán framed that reality as a defining achievement of his government and urged supporters to recognize it as such.

“We should be very proud of this,” he said. “We are the only country in all of Europe — the only capital — that is able to provide this level of security for the Jewish community living alongside us.”

He attributed that record directly to firm government policy, stressing Hungary’s uncompromising stance toward antisemitism and anti-Israel incitement.

“The government supports this with a zero-tolerance policy,” Orbán said, urging supporters to “be proud that we do not allow bands that incite hatred against Israel to perform in Hungary. That doesn’t happen here.”

Orbán then tied Jewish safety in Budapest directly to Hungary’s opposition to mass migration, arguing the capital has avoided the street-level violence now common in other European cities — and that it will remain that way under his leadership.

“There are no violent migrants on the streets of Budapest, and there will not be any,” he said.

Framing the issue as a broader civilizational question, Orbán said the model established in Budapest reflects how a capital city should function — not merely politically, but fundamentally.

“This is how a nation’s capital should operate,” he said. “This is how it ought to be. This is what a modern European capital should look like.”

Orbán’s remarks were underscored by Hungary’s broader stance on antisemitism and migration — a position reinforced this past November, when Budapest hosted its annual pro-Israel summit, where Hungarian, Israeli, and American officials warned that mass migration and moral retreat are fueling antisemitism across Western Europe.

The comments drew immediate backing Wednesday from Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, who praised Budapest as “one of the safest and most welcoming European capitals for its Jewish community and for Israeli citizens alike.”

Chikli said Hungary’s record reflects “a responsible immigration policy that recognizes the danger posed by radical Islam” and “an uncompromising government policy against antisemitism,” pointing to Hungary’s willingness to host Jewish and Zionist events other European cities have declined.

Hungary is home to the largest Jewish population in Central Europe, with the vast majority living in Budapest. Orbán’s government has repeatedly pointed to its close ties with Israel, its rejection of open-border policies, and its public opposition to antisemitic violence as central to preserving Jewish life in the country.

As antisemitism continues to surge across major Western European cities, Orbán insisted that Budapest will remain different — a capital where Jewish life is protected and public order is enforced.

“There are no violent migrants,” he said. “And there will not be any.”