Organiser of Brussels orgy attended by MEP unapologetic about breaching coronavirus rules

Hungarian MEP József Szájer (pictured) has admitted that he was present at the party above the gay bar in downtown Brussels at the weekend. Szájer, a member of Viktor Orbán’s far-right Fidesz party, resigned his post in the European parliament on Sunday without mentioning the activities of the weekend, rather saying that the “strenuous give-and-take of participating daily in the political struggle has become an ever-greater burden”.

Szájer, 59, posted an apology on his website yesterday. “A newspaper article appeared in the Belgian press today about a house party in Brussels on Friday that I attended,” Szájer wrote. “I am sorry that I have broken the rules regarding assembly; this was irresponsible on my part, and I will accept any sanctions that follow.”

What Szájer failed to mention is that the party was an orgy attended by 20 men and that he tried to flee through a window when police arrived. The public prosecutor has confirmed that a witness tipped off police to a half-naked man escaping the first floor flat via a drainpipe. It released the man’s initials as JS and his year of birth, which is the same as Szájer’s.

“The man’s hands were bloody, possibly injured when he fled the space,” the prosecutor stated. “Ecstasy pills were found in his backpack.”

Police served Szájer with a procès-verbal for possession of illegal drugs. In his online statement, Szájer said he knew nothing about the ecstasy. “I did not use drugs,” he wrote. “I told the police that they could give me a drug test, but they declined. Police said an ecstasy pill was found. It’s not mine, and I don’t know who put it on me or how.”

‘Hypocritical’

Meanwhile, the young man who organised the sex party has given his version of events to De Standaard. “I didn’t know [Szájer], he introduced himself to me briefly,” said David Manzheley, who regularly organises group sex for gay men. “He said that he had lived in Brussels for a long time and that he occasionally organised sex parties at his place. That’s pretty much all we said to each other. I didn’t know he was a parliamentarian.”

For his part, Manzheley, 29 and a doctorate student in economics, is unapologetic about organising an orgy during a pandemic. His rules, he says, are that everyone must be HIV negative and not feel sick or have any symptoms of Covid-19.

He had invited 10 people he knew and each was allowed to bring one friend. There were 20 people in total in the first floor flat, he told the paper.

Earlier reports suggested that neighbours complained about noise, and that police arrived after midnight. He says that there was no noise and that the party began at 18.00 so it could be over before the 22.00 curfew.

Manzheley is angry at police and plans to file a complaint. “They broke in here without a warrant for absolutely no reason. They also made homophobic remarks to my guests. I’m not putting up with that.”

Szájer is a close confidant of Orbán, a defender of the Hungarian administration’s claim to uphold conservative Christian values and helping to pen legislation that restricts marriage to one man and one woman. “I’m not interested in politics,” Manzheley told De Standaard. “It’s hypocritical for sure, but he’s not the only one.”

All of the men present at the party on Friday night will be fined €250 for breaching coronavirus regulations.