Budapest police are increasing patrols and implementing heightened security measures across the city from February 11th to February 15th, 8 PM, in anticipation of potential unrest surrounding the annual “Day of the Outbreak,” according to a statement released Thursday by the Budapest Police Headquarters (BRFK). The increased security presence, including a bolstered police force, is also aimed at preventing a recurrence of the 2023 series of attacks carried out by antifascist groups.
The BRFK stated it is cooperating with both domestic and foreign intelligence agencies to monitor potential threats. While affirming the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression within legal boundaries, authorities emphasized they “will not allow extremist groups to attack anyone.”
The security measures include specific guidelines for participants in any planned gatherings. Individuals are requested to follow the instructions of event organizers and security personnel, refrain from concealing their faces, and avoid carrying knives, clubs, pepper spray, pyrotechnic devices, or other potentially dangerous items. Police urged anyone with questions or requiring assistance to approach organizers or on-duty officers.
The heightened alert stems from a series of violent attacks that occurred in Budapest between February 9th and 11th, 2023. The attacks, perpetrated by individuals associated with the international antifascist movement, targeted pedestrians perceived to be right-wing based on their clothing. During these incidents, nine people were injured, six seriously and three with minor injuries, according to police reports.
The initial attack took place on February 9th, 2023, at Fővám tér, where three Polish nationals were assaulted by a group of seven to eight individuals wielding viper fish and other weapons. Victims sustained fractures and other serious injuries. Subsequent attacks occurred on February 10th at Gazdagrét, targeting a Hungarian man, and later that evening in the V. District on Bank Street, where a Hungarian couple was attacked. A fifth attack occurred on February 11th in the I. District on Mikó Street, targeting a German couple.
Following the attacks, Hungarian authorities initiated a large-scale investigation, collaborating with international law enforcement agencies. To date, 18 individuals have been identified as perpetrators. In December 2024, charges were filed against an Italian and two German nationals apprehended shortly after the attacks. A German citizen was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison, with a five-year expulsion order, though the ruling is currently under appeal by both the prosecution seeking a harsher sentence and the defendant seeking leniency.
Further arrests and indictments followed in Germany and Italy, with extradition proceedings underway for suspects located in France, and Albania. As of January 20, 2025, six German and one Syrian national surrendered to authorities in Germany, where they were taken into custody. The case of Ilaria Salis, an Italian national, gained significant attention after she was elected to the European Parliament, resulting in a suspension of proceedings against her due to parliamentary immunity.
On February 12, 2026, the Fővárosi Törvényszék (Metropolitan Court) delivered a first-instance verdict in the case. While some defendants had already received final judgments, proceedings against others were suspended due to immunity or continued in their home countries, leaving Maja Trux, a German national, as the remaining defendant in the courtroom.