Brussels, European capital of free sex? Ask the MEPs

“Wife swaps, threesomes or orgies involving six, fifty, one hundred or more people are no longer allowed until the pandemic subsides,” said Health Minister Maggie de Block in the Belgian parliament at the time, adding that it should act strictly because Belgium has developed the image of a “beer drinker” and a “European sex capital”.

However, there was no orgy with 500 participants or a ministerial speech in parliament. The entire story was coined by the satire portal World News Daily Report, which claims to follow the rule that “facts don’t matter.”

2015 Belgium has also made many foreign media headlines due to alleged orgies. At the time, it was reported that an orgy of soldiers and police had taken place at the police station near the Molenbek district, where the counter-terrorism operation was taking place, following the announcement of a special threat of Islamist terrorist attacks throughout Belgium. Two officers and 8 soldiers are said to have engaged in group sex. However, the investigation refuted such accusations and revealed that only alcoholic beverages were consumed – fellow graduates were celebrated.

This time the story is real

This week, the words “Belgium” and “orgies” have returned to the forefront of world media attention, only this time the report was not a “liar.” Last Friday night, the Brussels police received a report that a party was taking place near the compound in the heart of the city, the Grand Place. As you know, the second wave of COVID in Brussels is currently under strict quarantine: only one person can be invited home, only four people can be together in the street, bars and clubs are closed, and from 10pm – curfew. Violators of the rules face a fine of 250 euros.

Officers who went to the specified address found 25 naked men. One of them tried to escape through the window (from the second floor) but was injured and arrested, finding drugs in his backpack. He had no identity documents with him, but claimed that he was protected by diplomatic immunity because he was a member of the European Parliament. In addition, two more participants in the party covered their diplomatic immunity.

“A lot of people are overwhelmed by this incarceration. We want to see people again and I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I keep inviting some friends to my parties. They, in turn, give birth to their friends and we have a great time. “We talk, we drink. The only difference is that we have sex with each other. We are all grown men and everything happens by mutual agreement,” the Belgian media quoted David Manzheley, a 29-year-old economics PhD student, as host of the party Thursday The man added that all the guests had already been infected with COVID and showed no symptoms of the virus.

Belgian police get party reports every weekend (if not every night) and hunt them down, so maybe this was just another quarantine violation. However, information about the MEP leaked to the media and it was soon clear who he was: the Hungarian representative in the European Parliament, József Szájer, unexpectedly announced his resignation on Sunday. On Tuesday it became clear that he was the MEP at that party.

Brussels is a very tolerant city, and everyone understands that not all saints are actually in the European institutions (for example, traces of cocaine can be found in any bathroom of the European Parliament). Therefore, the entire scandal of the gay orgy would probably end in fines of € 250 for its participants. Which is definitely not much for an MEP or a diplomat (by the way, it turned out that one of the party participants was an Estonian diplomat).

Orgy party, isn’t that just a rumor?

As Mr. Manzheley himself told the Polish news site Onet.pl, he has been hosting parties for up to 100 people for the past two years.

“My parties are bareback (unprotected). This means that condoms cannot be used and only men are involved. They cannot just watch, all participants must have sex. We all call it the ‘parenting orgy’ said the organizer, adding that such activities are legal in Belgium, and still require all participants to sign a promise that they are not infected with the coronavirus or have already had it. Also, phones cannot be brought to a orgy.

These parties are not uncommon in Brussels (at least until the COVID epidemic). Belgium is a free country. A few years ago, Belgium was estimated to have one of the largest sex clubs in terms of population, with a total of 36. It is true that during the pandemic some of them permanently closed down, say, the largest swing club in the country. , Acanthus, which was open to 400 people at a time.

Before the pandemic in Brussels, the Red Light District, transsexual and gay bars and clubs were officially in operation. By the way, right next to the place where the MEP orgy scandal took place, there is a gay street where crowds of men surfed at night. There is a lot of information about all this not only on the Internet, but also in tourist guides.

“I know that organizing orgies is very common in the local gay community. They happen quite frequently,” said DELFI.lt, one of the longest-lived expats in Brussels.

He added that one of the most frenetic parties is “La Demence” (“madness” – from French), where homosexuals from all over the world come.

“What sets La Demence apart from other gay parties is an international audience of all ages and styles. (…) Not only will you hear many different foreign languages, but you will also have fun with people of different ages and styles: boys in clothes With leather clothes, fashion designers, queens of muscles and clothing, young and old, more than 2,000 gays at a devilish party together, says Visit.Brussels, the official website for Brussels tourism.

Now, of course, such events do not occur. But private parties, which are also attended through the gay dating app Grindr, definitely are. As evidenced by the orgy organized by Mr Manzheley, to which, according to the host, the MEP was not personally invited.

Isn’t he the only “two-sided defender of traditional values”?

According to Manzheley, politicians and diplomats from Ukraine, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Spain and, more often, Hungary and Poland were among his party participants. Representatives of the latter countries also belong to the ruling parties, Law and Justice and Fidesz, which claim to be defenders of traditional values, and which are often even accused of promoting homophobia.

It concerns the 59-year-old detainee, Mr. Szájer, who has been married for almost four decades and until now has been known as an active defender of traditional values, a close associate of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at Fidesz. only between man and woman, authors. Therefore, the news of the orgy was equated to an explosion.

Szájer himself did not argue, did not raise conspiracy theories, although he claimed that the ecstasy tablets found were not his.

“The Belgian press reported on a private party in Brussels on Friday. I was involved. (…) I deeply regret having violated the COVID-19 restrictions, I have acted irresponsibly. I am willing to pay the fine. (… .) I apologize to my family, my colleagues, my constituents. “… the mistake is only my staff, I am solely responsible,” he said.

However, this apology did not reassure the Brussels bubble and not only its media. With something like this, “We don’t care who you sleep with, your political activities are important to us!” Critics condemned Szájer that neither he nor his Fidesz party apologized for hypocrisy when personal “hobbies” radically intersect with overt public activities. . It is true that the organizer of the match has a different opinion.

“They say they need to maintain their positions. They pretend to agree with their leaders. Therefore, they go abroad to play. If this became apparent in their countries, it would mean the end of their careers. Due to the norms of their societies, they cannot speak openly about their homosexuality, “Oz.pl said of Manzheley’s representatives from traditional value festivals who attend his parties.

On the other hand, people’s personal behavior is not always the same as religious or political beliefs.

Interestingly, according to Polish journalists, the Polish police are looking for Manzheley on fraud charges and he has not even graduated from high school, although he presents himself as a PhD student. The man himself denies it.