Cleaning Sh*t for the Nation: How Hungary’s government racializes labour and calls it opportunity

28 January 2026

By Judit Ignácz

Hungarian Minister of Construction and Transport, János Lázár, took Fidesz to a new low recently. With the casual confidence of a man who looks like he has never held a broom, he generously offered Romani people a place in Hungary’s glorious national future: cleaning shit. Literally.

Speaking at a public forum in Balatonalmádi on 23rd January, concerning the decline in Hungary's population, Lázár said: “The reserve of this country is the Hungarian people, not migrants. The decision to close the border means that in Hungary, everyone must be given an opportunity, and we will not allow anyone into the country who is not Hungarian. So, if there are no migrants, and someone has to clean the toilet on the InterCity, because Hungarian voters are not exactly rushing enthusiastically to clean someone else’s shit-covered toilet, then we must uncover the internal reserves. And the internal reserve means the Gypsy population of Hungary. This is reality.”

He added that there is no greater success than Fidesz having provided opportunities for hundreds of thousands of young Hungarian Roma to study and work. He also spoke about how, thanks to their family support system, 200,000 more children were born than would otherwise have been, and that this is complemented by a policy that, according to him, created real opportunities and chances for Romani people. He emphasised that for this to work, everyone must work (presumably in Hungary's much maligned public work system) and obey the law: “It’s that simple. Those who follow the rules can count on cooperation from society and the majority. How interesting: the border is closed, there are no migrants, the reserve has been uncovered, the reserve has been put to work, integrated into society, and everyone cooperates. This is a huge success.”

Lázár wrapped up his speech with moral superiority, saying the government wants a “work-based society,” (something alternately described by Dorottya Szikra as “welfare for the wealthy”) and added that this concept has historical reference and could not have even been used a few years ago. A person in the audience shouted:“Arbeit macht frei” (work makes you free), the Nazi slogan placed above the gates of several concentration camps, including Auschwitz. Lázár continued: “Today, everyone understands what a work-based society means, and why we do not want to take too much away from those who work hard in this country to give it to those who work less.”

Later, he made a statement in his defence saying he was not anti-Roma, but anti-immigrant, because he “doesn’t want to see cleaners brought in from Asia or North Africa on InterCity trains as long as there is even a single unemployed Romani person in Borsod, Nógrád, Baranya counties, or anywhere else in the country.” A day later, he apologised to Roma at an event with Orbán, who, for good measure, cracked a racist joke about Roma. But does this apology mean anything, particularly with the Hungarian elections just around the corner in April?

Cleaning Shit as a National Strategy 

Let’s be clear: this is not a slip of the tongue. Lázár’s statements are more than shocking rhetoric. It is xenophobic, racist, and even has neofascist overtones. It is a worldview – a strategy – encompassing the government’s vision for the future of Roma in Hungary. This rhetoric casts the Romani people as being suitable for work they consider degrading for others to do. It devalues and dehumanises blue-collar workers and manual work. It fuels the so-called ‘oppression Olympics’ (where two vulnerable groups are deliberately set against one another in competition) and normalises hatred of immigrants under the pretence of “helping” Roma in Hungary.

Romani people are not imagined as lawyers, doctors, teachers, researchers, artists, leaders, or whoever they want to be. They are imagined as a racialised labour reserve, without dreams, needs, dignity, rights, or knowledge. A backup workforce that must be made “fit for purpose”, whether that purpose is as a voting machine, a scapegoat, or a target.

With elections just around the corner, this sounds familiar.

Managing Roma through Dehumanisation

The way Romani people are treated is part of a centuries-long pattern of dehumanisation. It echoes the logic of fascism, which once took away the Romani people’s agency, education, and chance to pursue any profession.

There are similar rhetorics praising Romani communities for being “resilient” or “good at recycling.” It sounds positive and progressive. But what it really means is: when society produces waste, Romani people are assigned to deal with it, literally and metaphorically. When society needs cheap labour, Roma become “internal reserves” (rather than a constituent part of the nation).  When inequalities need to be justified, Roma are praised for their natural talent for adaptability to poverty, exclusion, or the lowest-status jobs. This is not recognition. It is racialised labour sorting, with echoes of both fascist and soviet authoritarianism when Roma and other marginalised groups were put into the most dangerous, menial, or exploitative work and treated as expendable labour to serve state and industrial needs.

Lázár’s narrative does not offer change, but stability for those already in power. This kind of economic rhetoric does not challenge inequalities, it manages them. It does not dismantle hierarchy but reinforces it. It does not imagine Romani futures. It limits them. And the most cynical part? Roma are expected to be grateful for being “included” if they accept humiliation as an opportunity and degradation as social cooperation.

The Illusion of Meritocracy

Then comes the ever-present right-wing cherry on top: so-called meritocracy. According to Lázár’s speech, “anyone who works hard and follows the rules can succeed”. He says it’s simple: obey the law, work hard, and society will cooperate with you. How charmingly detached from reality. Meritocracy is one of the biggest lies that some people in society still cling to. It pretends the system is neutral while in reality, it actively benefits those already on top. Meritocracy, as a concept, falsely assumes that everyone starts from the same position with the same opportunities and equal treatment in life, while completely ignoring systemic inequalities. The idea that “anyone who works hard can succeed” disregards discrimination, school segregation, labour market barriers, human rights violations, and limited access to public services that Romani people face. If meritocracy worked in real life, some Romani people would already be multi-millionaires, competing with Lázár’s wealth.

Opportunities to Study and Work – A Reality Check

According to Lázár, the government has provided opportunities for hundreds of thousands of young Roma to study and work. Apparently, the peak of this opportunity is being suitable for work that others find degrading. Lázár might live in a different Hungary than the one we know.

The ERRC has reported that many Romani school students in Hungary face persistent educational segregation and obstacles to accessing higher education. As a result, Romani youngsters rarely reach university, and their presence at Hungarian universities remains below 1%. Very few scholarships exist to support Romani students, and those that do are primarily for high school and university levels rather than in earlier years. Moreover, school attendance is mandatory only until age 16, further limiting opportunities to study further. About 60% young Roma aged 18-24 were early school leavers in 2021.

Hungarian government public work programs run by local municipalities mostly push Roma into temporary, low-paying, insecure jobs. These programs are developed to “help integrate” people into society, but they just reinforce discrimination and keep Roma stuck in low-skill work, racialised division of labour, and dependency. The jobs are temporary, short-term, offer little stability, low salary, and do not open the door to growth or social mobility. Discrimination against Roma in employment is also widespread, with the unemployment rate in 2023 being about 20 %.

Pro-Natalism for the ‘Deserving’

According to Lázár, 200,000 more children were born than would otherwise have been, and this is complemented by a policy that created real opportunities and chances for Romani people. In reality, Hungary is experiencing a sharp decline in births. In November last year, only 5,582 children were born, while 9,686 people died. Compared to the same month in 2024, births fell by 11%, and deaths rose by 9.3%. This far from demonstrates the success of social policies, but rather an ongoing demographic crisis.

The “family-friendly” Hungarian government’s housing program – which, in exchange for signing a formal agreement to give birth within a specific deadline, gives substantial financial support to buy, build, or renovate a home – is designed to favour straight, middle-class, ethnic Hungarians who are married. Its eligibility criteria (stable employment, no public work, no outstanding debts, and 2 years of health insurance) effectively exclude many Romani families who are more likely to be employed in informal, unstable work or to participate in public work programs. This is eerily reminiscent of racialised pro-natalist policies such as the Nazi-era Hungary family programs that favoured racially and socially “desirable” families while excluding marginalised groups.

Citizens, Not Reserves

Many Romani and non-Romani organisations, activists, and influencers raised their voices against Lázár, which is why the public apology came so quickly. In a country where systemic racism against Roma has been embedded for centuries, the recent speech by Minister Lázár is not surprising, but it confirms the deep-rooted prejudices that continue to shape policy, public discourse, and political rhetoric with serious consequences. Roma must be recognised as citizens. As people with equal rights. Not as people who exist when it is convenient.