Gábor Csupó is a 67-year old Hungarian-born fellow Californian. As an animator he made his fame and fortune after coming to the US about 40 years ago in the creation of The Simpsons.
Ervin Nagy is a 43-year old Hungarian film and stage actor. He had a memorable performance in the Hungarian cult-film Kincsem.
Mr. Ervin Nagy in the Hungarian film, Kincsem
Origo is a popular Hungarian news portal.
A couple of weeks ago the Orbán Government unveiled a new “culture bill” to extend control over cultural institutions. The bill aims to give the government more oversight of theater budgets, personnel policies and operations. Pro-government nationalists think that the Hungarian theatre has too much “rootless cosmopolitan liberalism” and want to make it “more Hungarian.”
Thousands demonstrated saying that the bill threatens artistic freedom. One of the fiercest critics was actor Ervin Nagy who was displeased by comments from Fidesz parliamentary group leader Mr. Máté Kocsis, who called the current theatre scene “harassment theaters.” Nagy thinks this humiliates the entire Hungarian artistic community by insulting actors in a “rat-like maneuver.”
And now comes the interesting part.
Within days the popular Origo portal had published a letter from Mr. Csupó in California. Csupó criticized the actor’s “shameful” comments and suggested that Nagy should stick to acting. Actors should not demonstrate or make political statements; they should concentrate on their performances on stage or in front of the camera – wrote Csupó. (Read Csupó’s letter in Hungarian here)
To intimidate political opponents by using the media is a popular sport in Hungary, but attacking a popular Budapest actor from California is surprising, to say the least. It seems that Csupó is firmly behind the authoritarian Hungarian regime.
It is worth to mention that Csupó’s good friend is Árpád Habony, a Hungarian oligarch and longtime unofficial advisor to Orbán. Habony is the “spin doctor” who masterminded the distasteful anti-Semitic anti-Soros campaign. President Trump’s former top analyst Fiona Hill compared the attacks on billionaire philanthropist George Soros to the The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
Mr. Gábor Csupó (left) and his friend Mr. Árpád Habony, PM Orbán’s “spin doctor”
I wouldn’t be surprised to see more “media intimidations” from the US in the future. Orbán and his allies are in a tough spot as their policies have drifted to the far-right and the ruling Fidesz party is losing steam at home. The government is nervous and recently shifted their international spin machine into ahigher gear. Now they attack opponents anyway they can.
