Budapest is grappling with a severe drug crisis, Alexandra Szentkirályi, leader of the Fidesz-KDNP municipal group, declared in a video posted on social media on Thursday. She criticized the current city administration, led by Mayor Gergely Karácsony, accusing it of fostering a permissive environment for drug use instead of combating the problem.
‘Drugs in Budapest have never been this cheap or accessible,’ stated Szentkirályi. She argued that the city, rather than playing a pivotal role in the fight against drugs, has adopted a strategy that tacitly supports drug consumption. Szentkirályi highlighted that the city’s drug policy is, in her view, far from being anti-drug. Instead, she alleged, it is a pro-drug strategy created by activists lobbying for easier and more comfortable drug use, financed by taxpayers’ money. ‘The citizens of Budapest were never consulted about this,’ she added.
According to Szentkirályi, the strategy promotes measures like establishing ‘drug rooms’ in entertainment venues and offering drug testing services to users before returning their substances. ‘How can young people say no to drugs when the environment at parties encourages consumption?’ she questioned. Speaking as a mother, Szentkirályi expressed concern for her teenage daughter’s safety in a city that, in her words, promotes drug use. ‘How can I protect my child when the municipal government encourages consumption?’ she asked.
She went on to describe the city’s approach as the pinnacle of covert drug liberalization. Instead of focusing on prevention, rehabilitation, and law enforcement, Szentkirályi accused the administration of supporting the lifestyle of drug users through various initiatives.
Fidesz’s Budapest faction, Szentkirályi emphasized, stands for prevention, zero tolerance towards drug dealers, and supporting full recovery for users. The party plans to submit a proposal to the Municipal Assembly, demanding the immediate repeal of what they call Budapest’s ‘shameful drug strategy.’ ‘We will work with all relevant professional bodies and authorities to create a new, genuinely anti-drug strategy following thorough public consultation,’ she announced.
Szentkirályi concluded with a stark warning: ‘Drugs kill—sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly. And Budapest’s drug policy is complicit, enabling this destruction rather than preventing it.’ She urged immediate action to address what she sees as a growing crisis in Hungary’s capital.
The debate over Budapest’s drug strategy reflects broader concerns about public safety and urban governance, with critics and supporters of the current administration deeply divided. As the conversation continues, the city faces mounting pressure to find solutions to its escalating drug problem.
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