Thousands of Hungarians congregated on the streets of Budapest on Thursday in a show of force on behalf of their leader, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who six months ahead of parliamentary elections looks set to face the most competitive ballot in his 15 years in power.

The gathering, dubbed a "peace march” by organizers, came on Hungary’s October 23 national holiday, a remembrance of a failed anti-Soviet uprising in 1956 that was crushed by the Red Army.

Marchers shouted slogans backing Orbán and his message that Hungary is at risk of becoming directly involved in Russia's war in Ukraine.

Orbán, considered Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest partner in the European Union, has consistently argued against Western support for neighboring Ukraine since Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Later in the day, supporters of Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar filled the sprawling Heroes' Square in the capital on Thursday for a show of strength ahead of next year's national election.

Marchers shouted anti-government slogans, as well as “Russians go home!” — a refrain from the 1956 rebellion and a reference to many people's view that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is too close to Moscow.