The policy implications of anti-immigrant discourses in Hungary since 2015: How politics became captive to post-truth

This chapter examines how anti-immigrant post-truth discourse in Hungary has evolved from political rhetoric into institutionalised policy since the 2015 refugee crisis. Focusing on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s State of the Nation addresses and annual speeches at the Tusnádfürdő summer student camp, the chapter traces how emotionally charged, evidence-poor narratives reframed migration as a civilisational and existential threat to Hungary and Europe. Drawing on discourse analysis, public opinion data and policy analysis, it shows how fear-based metaphors, securitisation and conspiracy-laden claims normalised anti-immigrant sentiment across Hungarian society. Once embedded in public attitudes, these narratives were translated into concrete institutional practices, including draconian asylum restrictions, prolonged emergency governance and the marginalisation of evidence-based policymaking. The chapter further demonstrates the paradoxical consequences of this post-truth environment through the case of Hungary’s guest worker programme, revealing how the government’s own anti-immigrant narrative later constrained its capacity to address labour shortages. Overall, the chapter argues that Hungary exemplifies how post-truth politics can become deep post-truth, reshaping both political reality and policy outcomes in enduring ways.