Prison sentence for attack on Tisza activists

Written by Christina Vontin

The Eger District Court has sentenced a man who assaulted Tisza Party campaign activists while drunk.

The Regional Court of Eger has sentenced a man to three years’ imprisonment in summary proceedings in the first instance for attacking Tisza Party activists in Eger, where the opposition party opened its nationwide signature collection. The public prosecutor’s office in Eger brought the case to court within 72 hours.

The incident took place on 24 March in front of a department store in Eger. The alcoholised man got into an argument with two party activists. When he learnt of their party affiliation, he became violent – he kicked the signature stand, shoved and kicked the activists several times. He insulted his victims, the party and its chairman in a vulgar manner. Only the arrival of the police put an end to the rampage. The victims remained unharmed. The perpetrator cited his strong dislike of the Tisza party as his motive.

The public prosecutor’s office classified the offences as two cases of bodily harm against members of a community. The district court in Eger agreed with this assessment and sentenced the man to three years in prison and a four-year ban from conducting public affairs. As the defendant has lodged an appeal, the judgement is not yet final.