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The name of Simeon T., a 24-year-old German citizen, has become a symbol of a new political and media battle in Europe. His case pits two countries with very different visions of law and justice —Germany and Hungary—against each other, while reopening a debate on tolerance towards far-left violence and the preferential treatment given to certain activists under the umbrella of new gender identities.
T. is currently on trial in Hungary for his alleged participation in a series of assaults committed in Budapest in February 2023. According to investigations by the Hungarian prosecutor’s office—confirmed by the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office—he and other members of a clandestine group known as the Hammerbande (Hammer Gang) traveled from Germany to Hungary’s capital with the express purpose of physically attacking individuals they considered to be “neo-Nazis.” Yes, you read that correctly.
According to the authorities, it was a radical ‘anti-fascist’ action that involved prior surveillance of the targets, coordinated attacks using iron bars and ambush-style blows, some delivered while the victims lay unconscious on the ground. Nine people were injured, several of them seriously.
The case shocked Hungary. While it was not the first time German extremists had traveled abroad to commit acts of violence, this was one of the most well-documented and brutal occasions. Hungarian authorities requested the extradition of Simeon T., which Germany granted shortly before the German Constitutional Court ruled that such extradition should not have occurred. Left-wing sectors have used that later decision as an argument to claim that the Hungarian justice system lacks legal guarantees.
Since his arrest, the case has taken an unexpected turn: Simeon T. has begun to identify as a ‘non-binary’ person publicly and now uses the name “Maja.” At the same time, he launched a hunger strike lasting several weeks, which led to his transfer to a prison hospital. From that moment, Germany’s left-wing circles —including the Green Party and Die Linke (the Left) members— launched a vigorous campaign demanding his release. Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt (Greens) personally traveled to Budapest to express her support and publicly accused the Orbán government of “acting outside the rule of law.” An official letter was also sent to the German Ministry of Justice, urging diplomatic pressure for his “swift and safe” repatriation.
These actors have never condemned the original events or even provided proper context. The problem, they argue, is Orbán and a law that targets violent individuals, not the violence itself. It’s considered acceptable violence because it comes from the left.
Phrases like “psychological torture,” “solitary confinement,” and “prison abuse” have been repeatedly echoed in sympathetic media outlets. At the same time, magazines such as Der Spiegelhave run sympathetic interviews in which T. complains about having “too little sunlight” in his cell. Under slogans like “Free Maja” and “Hungary tortures,” various activists are now calling for his immediate release.
However, the legal background of the case is far more complex. In March 2024, the German Attorney General described Simeon T. as “a member of an extremist criminal organization” involved in armed assaults, drug trafficking, and violent robbery since at least 2017. According to the public prosecutor, T was part of an organized structure that used violence as a political tool. Therefore, it is not simply a case of political persecution, as some suggest, but rather a criminal trial supported by extensive evidence, including footage of the attacks and multiple testimonies.
The trial in Budapest—which has proceeded, according to international observers, in full accordance with the principles of due process—will resume in September. The Hungarian prosecutor is seeking a sentence of up to 24 years in prison for attempted murder and participation in a criminal organization.
