Whoever says that the danger of war is just scaremongering — what would they say to this mother from Transcarpathia?
Kitti and her family have already lost many people because of the war. József Sebestyén also lived near them; he was violently dragged into a car by Ukrainian recruitment officers and later beaten to death in a training camp. The amount of grief and pain this mother is experiencing because of the war is indescribable — and how many others are mourning besides her!
With the April election, we are choosing our fate: will we also experience tragedies like these, or will we stay out of the war?
According to Tisza, there is no war, and their European People’s Party bosses want to send Hungarian soldiers to the front. Deep down, we all know: peace is the only path on which our future can be safe.
How did you receive the news as a family — did you find out from the news, or did someone from the family tell you?
Well, he is not the first person we have lost. My godfather died at 40 — he was 47–48 — the fiancé of my daughter’s godmother. They took him too? Yes, they took him, and they brought him home in such a condition that he was in pieces. And now my brother-in-law has died as well — his uncle, Tibi’s childhood friend, Tibi’s neighbor. So many people whom we knew directly have been lost. Many — and others we saw several videos about. The one whom the Ukrainian soldiers beat so badly that he died; both his hands were broken in the camp there. He lived not far from Tibi’s family. So it has taken quite a lot from us.
1️⃣ Personal Tragedy as a Political Tool
The story of a mother from Transcarpathia may, in itself, represent genuine human suffering.
But the text is not really about mourning — it is about this:
“With the April election, we are choosing our fate.”
📌 Technique:
It transforms a specific, shocking personal story into a generalized political message.
🎯 Goal:
To place the voter in an emotional state (fear, empathy) and, in that state, connect the tragedy directly to the act of voting.
💥 Effect:
The rational question (“What is Hungary’s actual room for maneuver?”) is pushed into the background.
2️⃣ Existential Threat Framing
“We will either experience such tragedies ourselves, or stay out of the war.”
This is a classic false dilemma.
As if:
- one party = war
- the other party = peace
📌 Technique: Binary oversimplification
🎯 Goal: To turn the election into a survival issue
💥 Effect: Debate about concrete policies disappears
3️⃣ Construction of an Enemy Image
“According to Tisza, there is no war.”
“Their People’s Party bosses want to send Hungarian soldiers to the front.”
This is no longer emotional storytelling, but political framing.
📌 Techniques:
- Suggesting external control (“their bosses”)
- Labeling the opponent as pro-war
🎯 Goal:
To portray the domestic political opponent as a security risk.
4️⃣ Repetition and Graphic Detailing
The second half of the story lists deaths, names, ages, and phrases like “brought home in pieces.”
This is verbalized visual brutality.
📌 Technique: Graphic verbal imagery
🎯 Goal: Emotional shock
💥 Effect: The audience sees grief instead of geopolitics.
The Core Issue
Real human tragedies do exist.
There is a war in Ukraine.
There are mobilizations in Transcarpathia as well.
But the political claim being made is this:
“If you don’t vote for us, this will happen to you too.”
That is the point where the campaign shifts into fear-based mobilization.