Comment
Matúš Jablonský

The left stands behind a non-binary extremist and violent criminal, while his victims are left behind

The verdict against a left-wing extremist in Budapest has revealed a disturbing truth about today's Europe. Ideology can drown out the victims, justify brutality, and turn perpetrators into martyrs.

The verdict of the Budapest court on German left-wing extremist Simeon T., who publicly presents himself under the name "Maja" and identifies as non-binary, has revealed one of the darkest maladies of contemporary European politics: the ability of ideology to drown out the truth, overshadow victims, and turn violence into a moral stance.

The individual in question was sentenced to eight years in prison for grievous bodily harm and membership in a criminal group. A group of radicals traveled with him to Budapest and attacked people identified as political opponents. 

However, the court's verdict is not a verdict on "identity" but on the act itself. On brutality. On a coordinated attack on people who were selected as political opponents.

No sooner had the judge finished speaking than a wave of solidarity swept across Europe. Paradoxically, not with the victims, not with the injured, but with the perpetrator.

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