ABSTRACT
This chapter gives a comprehensive overview of extremism and counter-extremism in Hungary. First, it looks at the progression of far-right social forces and the trends of resentment and xenophobic attitudes. Then, three phases of the post-socialist era are discussed, each exploring radical and extreme right political actors and movements, their political participation and influence on mainstream politics and the public. In the early years, while far-right political actors and movements proliferated, they remained marginal. With the rise of a new far-right party, Jobbik, in the 2000s, masses of voters were mobilised, and the party became the second strongest political force. Since 2010, Hungary has been marked above all by the political hegemony of Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz. The party’s turn to illiberalism and populism, and indeed its adoption of extreme positions on issues like immigration and so-called gender ideology, has closed opportunities for other far-right actors. In the final section, we examine counter-extremism policies and politics, revealing that extant measures are reactive rather than proactive and most of the time can be characterised as legally permissive and weakly implemented. What is more, since 2010 there have been no significant governmental attempts to address radicalisation, far-right activism and associated criminality.
