As a mother, I had to hold on when I heard the death threats from Ukrainians directed at Viktor Orbán’s children and grandchildren.
A Ukrainian lieutenant general would reportedly send Zelensky’s “death squad” after Viktor Orbán and his family if he does not change his position regarding Ukraine and the war.
I cannot even imagine what a parent must feel in such a situation. At the same time, I know exactly that Viktor Orbán cannot be intimidated from representing Hungarian interests.
He stood up for Hungary even when no one else did. And Hungarians cannot be blackmailed.
So no matter the death threats, the Brussels-Tisza-Ukrainian cooperation against Hungarians: Viktor Orbán will not surrender, and neither will the Hungarian people.
This is what we must also show at Sunday’s Peace March. Enough of Ukrainian blackmail, enough of the charade by Péter Magyar and Zelensky!
Let us stand up for peace and show that Hungary will not be pushed around!
This video may be a bit more personal than the ones I usually make, but today’s news brought out the mother in me rather than the politician. Perhaps it is also because my daughter is at camp and I have not seen her for five days, and she is finally coming home today, which makes me even more sensitive to news like this.
But when I read that Ukrainians had threatened not only Viktor Orbán personally, but also his five children and six grandchildren, something in me snapped. It is simply unbelievable that in politics there seem to be no red lines left that someone has not crossed in recent weeks or months—whether on the Ukrainian side or among the Hungarian opposition.
If one thinks about why people enter public life, I believe there is only one good answer: to leave something behind for the next generation and to build something that will make their lives better, easier, and safer.
All of us who take part in public life should keep this in mind. For example, in my own office I always keep a few small things my daughter gave me—perhaps a little Christmas message, or one of her first tiny shoes, and many photographs. They constantly remind me that I took on public life because of her, with all its beauty and all its difficulties.
I cannot imagine what it must feel like when the Prime Minister of Hungary reads that his grandchildren and children are being threatened from Ukraine. And why? Simply because he stands up for Hungarian interests and refuses to pursue a pro-Ukrainian policy that would harm Hungary.
Nor can I imagine what it must feel like, as the leader of a country, to face the fact that his challengers—the Tisza party led by Péter Magyar—are allies of the very people who threaten him. Because that is what is happening now.
What is happening is that the Tisza party is cooperating with Ukraine in order to remove the national government and replace it with a pro-Ukrainian government imposed on Hungarians.
When I see videos like this, I cannot help but feel that there are no limits to what Ukrainians would do to bring their preferred candidate, Péter Magyar, to power in Hungary.
I can only hope that love—however sentimental that may sound—is stronger than this kind of hatred.
And I trust that we Hungarians cannot be diverted from what matters to us and what our goal is, not even by such brutally harsh threats.
Our goal is for Hungary to remain a sovereign country—one that we can proudly pass on to our children and grandchildren.
And I believe that at the upcoming Peace March we will show that we cannot be intimidated and cannot be threatened.
We are proud to stand up at the Peace March for Viktor Orbán—the man who has always kept Hungarian interests in mind and who has never been intimidated when it came to representing the interests of the Hungarian people.
I hope that the campaign—although this may be a naive hope—will move toward somewhat calmer waters in the coming thirty-something days.
And to the political actors on the other side at home, I ask them to think carefully about whether they truly want to push the cart of a Ukraine that issues threats like this against the country and the Hungarian Prime Minister—against his grandchildren and his children—and whether they want to represent such a Ukraine in the Hungarian Parliament after the elections.
1️⃣ Activating family emotions (maternal emotional framing)
Excerpt
“As a mother I had to hold on to something…”
“his five children and six grandchildren…”
Technique
The political conflict is placed into a mother–child emotional frame.
The focus is no longer on politics, but on:
- children
- grandchildren
- family
This is one of the strongest emotional triggers in communication.
Goal
- evoke empathy
- emotionally involve the reader
- reduce critical thinking
Effect
The reader no longer perceives it as a political issue, but rather as:
➡️ “an attack against a family.”
2️⃣ Shock threat narrative (fear shock framing)
Excerpt
“death threat”
“death squad”
Technique
The communication relies on an extreme threat narrative.
Key words:
- death
- liquidation
- threats against family members
This produces an immediate emotional reaction.
Goal
- shock effect
- fear generation
- political mobilization
Effect
The reader may feel that:
➡️ “this is no longer politics — it is a matter of life and death.”
3️⃣ Leader = nation fusion (leader–nation fusion)
Excerpt
“Orbán Viktor is being threatened”
“Hungarians cannot be blackmailed”
Technique
The communication merges together:
- Orbán Viktor
- Hungary
- the Hungarian people
Thus the narrative becomes:
An attack on Orbán = an attack on Hungary
Goal
To frame criticism of the political leader as an attack on the nation itself.
Effect
Readers may begin to think:
➡️ “Anyone who is against Orbán is against Hungary.”
4️⃣ Enemy coalition narrative (enemy coalition framing)
Excerpt
“Brussels, Tisza, and Ukrainian collusion”
Technique
Different actors are merged into a single hostile alliance:
- Ukraine
- Brussels
- the Hungarian opposition
- the Tisza party
This is a classic propaganda technique.
Goal
To create one large, unified enemy image.
Effect
The reader may perceive that:
➡️ “everyone is working against us.”
5️⃣ Hero leader narrative (hero leadership framing)
Excerpt
“Orbán Viktor cannot be intimidated”
Technique
The leader is presented as a brave defender.
Narrative elements:
- he stands firm despite threats
- he protects the nation
- he refuses to bow to pressure
Goal
To strengthen the legitimacy and authority of the leader.
Effect
➡️ “He is the only one who can protect us.”
6️⃣ Moral framing (good vs evil framing)
The worldview presented in the text:
| Good side | Bad side |
|---|---|
| Hungarians | Ukrainians |
| peace | war |
| Orbán | Brussels |
| national government | opposition |
This is a black-and-white political framing.
Goal
To simplify a complex geopolitical conflict.
7️⃣ Political mobilization (mobilization framing)
Excerpt
“We must show this at Sunday’s Peace March”
Technique
At the end of the emotional narrative, the text calls for concrete political action.
Structure:
- shocking story
- emotional identification
- enemy construction
- mobilization
This is a typical campaign communication template.
8️⃣ Delegitimizing the opposition (traitor framing)
Excerpt
“the Tisza party is collaborating with Ukraine”
Technique
The political opponent is portrayed as serving foreign interests.
This is a core technique in populist political communication.
Goal
To weaken the legitimacy of the opposition.
Effect
➡️ “They do not represent Hungarian interests.”
Rhetorical structure of the text
The communication follows a classic propaganda sequence:
1️⃣ Shock
“death threat”
2️⃣ Emotional identification
“as a mother…”
3️⃣ Enemy identification
Ukraine + Brussels + opposition
4️⃣ Hero presentation
Orbán
5️⃣ Mobilization
Peace March
In short
The text simultaneously uses:
- fear appeals
- family emotions
- enemy construction
- a heroic leader narrative
- electoral mobilization
This is textbook campaign communication.