They rape, they infect, they break laws, they take away our jobs and they occupy. No, this time we are not quoting the government’s propaganda. Instead, we are quoting directly the residents of Őcsény; those residents who were unified in their rage by the fact that a local guesthouse owner planned to house, for a couple of days, refugees–women and children. Yes, the brutal words of the residents of Őcsény closely resemble those of the government. Yet even the very suggestion that the government’s incitement is what fired up the people angers János Lázár, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office. Mr. Lázár hypocritically deflects blame and he expresses concern about what happened to Christian love in Őcsény. All the while, his superior–Viktor Orbán–continues to ignite passions with the same momentum. He believes that the fury of the people of Őcsény is very understandable, because Hungarians have been lied to so many times on the issue of refugees that they no longer believe that it is actually only children who are arriving.
Residents of Őcsény attending a celebration in traditional attire. Photo: ocseny.hu
Let’s not have any illusions. Mr. Orbán and his partners are not improvising. They are testing the effectiveness of their communication. They are smacking their lips, because everything is going according to plan. Anything and everything is possible, with the right amount of lies and public money. Let’s just see the end result. In a small village in Tolna county, even non-existent refugees spark such passion, that people screamed from the top of their lungs at a townhall meeting and they spoke about refugee men attacking the village’s women as if this was a fact. The mayor resigned and they slashed the tires of the guesthouse owner’s car. What would have happened if refugees really had arrived? All the while, Mr. Orbán inflames tensions further, he distorts reality, whilst expressing concern about the fact that the residents of Őcsény are being lied to–the very residents who have been incited by his own government’s lies. Who knows, maybe as a next step–just as a trial–they will send a few refugees to Őcsény…
The only question that remains is this: If someone uses a knife again, but this time it lands in something other than the tires of a car, will the prime minister still approve?
András Boda
(Translated from Hungarian by Christopher Adam. The Hungarian version appeared in Népszava.)
