Addressing a gala event of the Peace, Justice and Security Foundation in The Hague on Monday evening, Zeid condemned several European politicians as “populists” and “nationalist demagogues”, saying he was angered by the likes of Dutch Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilders, and the list of politicians he saw as likeminded included Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Zeid said these politicians, among them US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French National Front, and Brexit campaign leader Nigel Farage were responsible for spreading “lies and half-truths, manipulations and peddling of fear” and shared an ideology with the Daesh, another name for the Islamic State terrorist group.

Szijjártó said while Zeid said he was angered by half-truths and manipulation, he and his remarks were “precisely of that character”.

He said it was unacceptable and outrageous that a UN bureaucrat “compares a democratically-elected European politician to the ideology of the Islamic State”.

Szijjártó said such statements make Zeid “totally unfit for filling any post in the UN” and that his activities and similar remarks undermine the trust and respect for his high commissioner post.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.