Janos Lazar stated that if some MPs in parliament set off smoke bombs, then it is unrealistic to expect the average person to behave in a cultured manner. Regarding the restrictions on Pride, he commented: "In Hungary, love is free; everyone can love whomever they want, however they want, and the state does not interfere. What is not allowed is advertising it."
He compared it to smoking:
In Hungary, smoking is allowed, but advertising and promoting tobacco products are not. There is a general consensus on this because the goal is to protect children.
He also argued that Pride is not a freedom of expression issue, calling it essentially "an advertisement in public space by a few adults", resulting in gay people themselves suffering the biggest losses.
Host Zsolt Bayer commented that if he walked down the street in some of the same outfits seen in a Pride parade, he would be arrested for public indecency. Lazar responded: "I would like to live in a country where Pride is not only an undesirable event for the sake of protecting children but also for the sake of good taste and morality."
Peter Magyar is being evasive
The minister contrasted Momentum's parliamentary protest with the Tisza Party chief's behavior, calling the former's approach more honorable than Peter Magyar's.
At least the Momentum kids stand by their opinions, even if they act foolishly. But Peter Magyar dodges and avoids taking a clear stance; we don't even know where he stands on these issues."
He went further, calling Magyar a traitor:
"He is a traitor whom our political community lifted up and gave opportunities to, only for him to betray our trust."
Such a man should never be entrusted with leading a country because he will betray everything and everyone,
the minister added.
He also pointed to Peter Magyar's evasiveness on taking a clear stance on Ukraine. Lazar reaffirmed his own opposition to Ukraine joining the EU:
"We must not allow Ukraine to become an EU member, because it would ruin us." He recalled that in 2004, when Romania joined the EU, Fidesz did not have enough power to advocate for the rights of indigenous Hungarian minorities across the border. He argued that if they had succeeded back then, things would be much better today.
Lazar acknowledged that some people mockingly call him the "WC minister", as he oversees 1,200 public restrooms under the MAV railway company, many of which need renovation.
But he dismissed the criticism:
"Anyone who looks down on me or my work because of this is actually looking down on the Hungarian people."
The governing party politician emphasized that a modern, 21st-century country must have clean and well-maintained public transportation facilities, including restrooms.
Host Zsolt Bayer raised concerns about the frequency of railway accidents, postulating that nearly all of them happen because people ignore red signal lights and drive onto the tracks. Lazar disagreed, saying that the reasons were not necessarily stupidity, but rather simply recklessness, impatience and inattentiveness.
When asked how the government could win the 2026 elections, Lazar responded: "By doing politics with and for the people."
Cover photo: Janos Lazar, Hungarian Construction and Transport Minister (Photo: MTI/Peter Lehoczky)
