“But what should we do with those who want unrest and division rather than peace and unity … whose only pleasure lies in spoiling the holiday of others?” he asked, referring to a group whistling during his speech.

“It would be easy to mock them but we should not do that,” he said adding that Hungarians should “stand their ground on the horizon of building the nation rather than in the skirmishes of petty parties.”

“From the horizon of the Hungarian nation, one can choose the road that leads us to the wide gate of greatness or the one that leads to the swamp of hatred,” he said.

During the prime minister’s speech, opposition demonstrators blew whistles in protest and shouted “Viktator” and “Orbán, get lost!”. Many from the crowd attending the state celebration shouted back “Traitors!”.

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

MTI Photo: Botár Gergely