Protester disrupts Hungarian premier's EU Parliament appearance

A protester disrupted a media appearance by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the European Parliament in the French city of Strasbourg on Tuesday.

Throwing paper banknotes in the air, the protester shouted in Hungarian at Orbán: "For how much money have you betrayed your homeland, Mr Prime Minister?"

The protester managed to get within 1.5 metres of Orbán before security officials restrained him. The protester was then escorted out of the media room.

The disrupter was identified as Márton Gyekiczki, an official from the left-liberal opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) of former Hungarian prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsány.

His identity was confirmed by the centre-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group in the EU legislature.

Gyekiczki said that he had come to Strasbourg to tell Orbán personally that he was a traitor and that the Hungarian prime minister had betrayed European values and could not represent Europe.

Earlier, a number of members from the environmental Green group in the European Parliament held up posters near the media room hosting Orbán that read "Stop the Steal."

The Hungarian government has repeatedly been accused of misusing EU funds.

In addition, legal proceedings have been initiated against Hungary on several occasions because the European Commission believes that the country is not complying with EU law.

Budapest was recently fined millions by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over these breaches of EU law.

Orbán was speaking to the media ahead of his address to the EU legislature to outline the priorities of the Hungarian EU Council presidency.