Hollywood star meets Hungary prime minister Viktor Orban and gets guided tour of Budapest

'Way of the Dragon' star praises country's anti-terrorism unit

Hungary’s far-right leader Viktor Orban appears to have developed an unlikely new friendship with Hollywood action movie actor Chuck Norris.

The prime minister gave Norris, who famously appeared alongside Bruce Lee in Way of the Dragon, a guided tour of Budapest, and later uploaded footage onto Facebook.

The film shows Mr Orban driving Norris and his wife through rainy streets, while telling the actor he is “basically a street fighter”, and “not from the elite”.

He explains that he is from a small village, and offers to take Norris and his wife there on their next trip to the country.

Mr Orban, who’s critics characterise him as an authoritarian leader, drove Norris to see his “anti-terrorist unit”.

Mr Orban explained: “They are the toughest guys. The highest level and quality of defending the people.”

The footage, spliced to heavy rock music, then shows the anti-terrorist unit in training. Rows of men are seen lifting weights, others are kickboxing, pointing guns, wearing balaclavas and wrestling each other.

The unit then poses for photographs with Norris and Mr Orban.

“You are all my friends,” Norris tells the men.

Outside he tells Mr Orban: “I have seen training all over the world and this is the best demonstration. The best I’ve seen.”

Norris was in the country at the invitation of Christian charity Hungarian Baptist Aid, which collects and distributes gifts donated by the public for underprivileged children during Advent.

Last week it emerged Steve Bannon, former political strategist for Donald Trump, is planning to work closely with Mr Orban in the run-up to next year’s European Parliament elections.

Mr Bannon revealed he had visited Budapest to speak to the far-right leader and his aides in meetings not previously made public.

Earlier this year Theresa May was criticised for adopting a “far-right ideology”, after the Conservative Party voted against a European Parliament motion to censure the Hungarian leader, which in the end was overwhelmingly passed.

The Conservatives’ support for the right-wing leader – accused of violating press freedoms, undermining judicial independence and waging an antisemitic campaign against a leading Jewish businessman – was attacked by Ms May’s critics in the UK.

Mr Orban has also described refugees as “Muslim invaders” and been accused of being deeply Islamophobic.