Hungarian opposition urges action over Roma families' relocation from Košice to Szalonna

Hungarian opposition movement Mi Hazánk Mozgalom, represented by deputy Zoltán Pakusza, called on foreign minister Anita Orbán and interior minister Gábor Pósfai to take steps to protect the village of Szalonna and nearby border settlements from an influx of residents from “problematic districts” in Košice, Slovakia. Pakusza warned, “If Hungary does not intervene now, it could even trigger mass migration.”

The Hungarian interior ministry announced on 1 August that it is investigating the relocation of Roma families from the Lubina settlement in Košice to Szalonna, examining how the moves were organized, financed and whether property transactions were legal. The ministry stressed the case is not about ethnicity. Meanwhile, Slovak mayoral candidate Miroslav Sabol filed a criminal complaint on 23 July with the Košice prosecutor concerning the alleged illegal removal of the Lubina settlement.