Why a scarf worn by Hungary PM Viktor Orban sparked a diplomatic storm

After Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban was seen sporting a football scarf, Romania accused him of "revisionism", while Ukraine demanded a "formal apology". Why was the scarf controversial?

Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban is seen wearing the scarf. (Facebook/Orbán Viktor)

Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has come under fire for wearing a football scarf that featured a map of historical Hungary, including parts of Ukraine, Romania and other neighbouring nations.

Both Romania and Ukraine have voiced their disapproval. While the Romanian foreign ministry accused Orban of “revisionism”, Kyiv demanded a “formal apology”. Rastislav Kacer, Slovakia’s foreign minister, meanwhile, called Orban’s decision to wear the scarf “disgusting”.

In fact, this week, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Eduard Heger presented Orban with a new scarf at a summit for the Visegrad (V4) group leaders. “I noticed that Viktor Orbán has an old scarf, so I gave him a new one today,” Heger wrote in a Facebook post.

Why exactly was Viktor Orban’s scarf controversial?

The map depicted on the scarf was that of Greater Hungary — the old Hungarian territory that existed before Austria-Hungary’s defeat in World War 1. It includes countries like modern-day Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine and Romania, which ceased to be part of Germany’s former kingdom following the singing of the Treaty of Trianon in 1920.

In a video shared on his official Facebook page, the Hungarian Prime Minister is seen wearing the scarf while greeting Hungarian footballers during a match between Hungary and Greece on Sunday.

With around 1.2 million ethnic Hungarians residing in Romania and over 150,000 in Ukraine, Orban has been criticised in the past for attempting to promote Hungarian nationalism in these two countries.

So how did the neighbouring nations react?

Oban’s decision to wear the scarf was not received well across the border. Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko attempted to summon Hungary’s ambassador Mykhailo Yunher to inform him of the “unacceptability of Viktor Orban’s act”, the BBC reported.

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“The promotion of revisionism ideas in Hungary does not contribute to the development of Ukrainian-Hungarian relations and does not comply with the principles of European policy,” Nikolenko wrote on Facebook. “We are waiting for an official apology from the Hungarian side and a refutation of the encroachments on the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

Romania’s foreign ministry, too, called the move “revisionist”. “Any revisionist manifestation, no matter what form it takes, is unacceptable, against current realities and common commitments,” it said in a statement.

And how has Viktor Orban reacted to the backlash?

While Orban is yet to directly comment on the scarf controversy, in a Facebook post on Tuesday, he stressed on the importance of not mixing sports and politics.

“Soccer is not politics. Do not read things into it that are not there,” he wrote. “The Hungarian national team belongs to all Hungarians, wherever they live!”