‘This Is Not the Eurovision.’ Orban Gets a Hostile Serenade

For years, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, a champion of “illiberal democracy,” has taken swipes at the European Union and its officials.

And they have not been shy about criticizing him back.

On Wednesday, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, some members took that to a new level — in song. As Mr. Orban arrived at the Parliament to deliver a speech, progressives greeted him with a rendition of “Bella Ciao,” an Italian antifascist resistance song from the World War II-era.

Their musical taunt, which lasted for less than a minute, was shut down by the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, as other members more politically in tune with the conservative Mr. Orban chanted slogans supporting him.

“This is not the Eurovision,” Ms. Metsola told the chamber. She wryly noted that the song was more “Money Heist,” a Spanish television series about a bank heist that features the haunting music of “Bella Ciao,” than Abba, the Swedish pop group that was propelled to fame after winning Eurovision 50 years ago.

“Let’s respect the dignity of this house,” she said. (The last time lawmakers broke out into song in the European Parliament was in January 2020, when they sang “Auld Lang Syne,” after backing the terms of the agreement on Britain’s departure from the bloc.)

The European Union — which Hungary joined in 2004 — has long been at odds with Mr. Orban for his stance on minority rights, immigration, the rule of law and other issues, including what Brussels sees as his sympathetic stance toward President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Mr. Orban has often accused the E.U. of meddling in Hungary’s internal politics and promoting liberal values that he says differ from his country’s traditional conservative ones.