SPD politician on the verdict against Maja T.: “That was not a constitutional procedure”

taz: Mr. Droßmann, that German anti-fascist Maja T. was sentenced to eight years in prison in Hungary on Wednesday – for an attack on the sidelines of a right-wing extremist demonstration. How do you rate the verdict?

Falko Droßmann: Eight years is terrible, but I feared more. I would have liked an acquittal, that’s no question at all. Now both Maja T. and the public prosecutor have announced that they will appeal. I hope that we can get Maja back to Germany as quickly as possible.

taz: How strongly is the verdict influenced by the political framework in Hungary? In your opinion, what role does Prime Minister Viktor Orbán play?

Droßmann: A president, the executive branch, has to stay out of the judiciary, especially when it comes to an ongoing trial. Orbán didn’t do that, he interfered in the Trump way. That was unbearable. I have the impression that this was not a legal process. The judges were under too much pressure for that. I have always admired how strong Maja is and how strong she is as a person.

taz: The AfD, among others, welcomed the verdict and declared that anyone who uses violence as a means of political debate must expect constitutional consequences. How do you deal with this?

Droßmann: Everyone must always fear the consequences of the rule of law. But it must also be a constitutional state and it must also be a constitutional ruling! I doubt that. I don’t actually want to go into what the AfD is saying. What she has said on the subject in the past was unspeakable. The AfD is primarily concerned with the fact that Maja T. is a non-binary person. For queer people, they have a completely different concept of the rule of law – namely none at all.

taz: You visited Maja T. in prison in Hungary in the summer of 2025 and also experienced the prison conditions yourself. What does this mean for you after the verdict?

Droßmann: What I saw there cannot be compared with prison conditions in German remand prisons. I hope that the proceedings will now continue quickly and that at some point there will be an acquittal or a final judgment so that the federal government can finally ensure that Maja T. is brought to Germany.

taz: It did The Foreign Office has so far not used it enough?

Droßmann: The problem begins with the fact that Maja T. was brought to Hungary at the time. That was highly critical. I would have liked then Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to have been much more involved. Johann Wadephul at least sent a state secretary there and advocated for a constitutional procedure with our EU partner Hungary. Yes, of course I would have liked more commitment – including from the local German embassy.

tag: Maja T. was extradited from Germany to Hungary in June 2024without waiting for a decision from the Federal Constitutional Court. This action was later declared illegal. Is there a need for further clarification here?

Droßmann: Further clarification is absolutely needed, regardless of the Maja T. case. Because if the Federal Constitutional Court announces that it will come to a decision very quickly and this decision is not waited for, then that raises big questions in our country.

taz: Overall, we see that antifascism is coming under pressure. The USA under Donald Trump has classified “Antifa Ost” as a terrorist organizationas well Viktor Orbán. How should we deal with this?

Droßmann: I assume that every Democrat is generally anti-fascist. But this must not be expressed through violence against people and bystanders. We must also not exploit human fate for political purposes. You can write anti-discrimination and anti-fascism into the constitution, but it won’t help if we don’t set an example. Democracy also means the power of the people and the power of parliament. That’s why I won’t let up so that the Maja T. case doesn’t disappear into the media obscurity.