Search Results for: "vona"

Gábor Vona with Henrik Havas and the Hungarian parliament in the background. Photo: Facebook.

Jobbik’s Gábor Vona gets a boost in his appeal to centrist voters

For Gábor Vona, Christmas may have come early this year. Henrik Havas, a colourful media personality, television host and author, is writing a book on Mr. Vona. Mr. Havas mostly uses a somewhat tabloid writing style and has published on a very diverse range of topics, from sex and pornography, to the stories of convicted murders and their crimes to […]

by · November 13, 2017 · Politics
Gábor Vona. Photo: Facebook.

Jobbik’s Gábor Vona wishes Happy Hanukkah to Hungarian Jews and sparks controversy

Gábor Vona has been trying to shift his Jobbik party away from the far right; he must have thought that one of the best ways to show Hungary and the world that he is serious about ridding the party of its antisemitism is by wishing a Happy Hanukkah to Rabbi Slomó Köves and to his Unified Hungarian Jewish Congregation. “Allow me […]

by · December 30, 2016 · Antisemitism
Screenshot of Gábor Vona in N1TV interview.

Jobbik leader Gábor Vona: Homosexuals can be proud

“Is heterosexuality difficult for you?”–asked conservative journalist András Stumpf of Gábor Vona, the leader of the far-right Jobbik party, in a video interview appearing on the party’s online TV channel, N1TV. Mr. Vona, who has been accused by media associated with the governing Fidesz party of engaging in homosexual orgies, answered with an awkward “no.” What Mr. Stumpf was getting […]

by · November 24, 2016 · Politics
Gábor Vona during a visit to Transylvania in October.  Photo: Facebook.

Hungarian far-right leader Gábor Vona accused of homosexual orgies

One of the relatively refreshing aspects of Hungarian politics until recently was that, broadly speaking, the personal lives of politicians were not paraded before the general public, and the public did not seem especially interested in this either. Over the last few years, however, media tied to Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party has rejected this unwritten rule, even to the point of […]

by · November 11, 2016 · Politics
Gábor Vona (right) appearing with journalist Antónia Mészáros on ATV.

Gábor Vona’s interview on ATV: I am willing to apologize for Jobbik’s unacceptable statements

For years, as a matter of principle, Hungary’s left-leaning ATV news network didn’t allow the far-right Jobbik’s politicians into its studios. All of that changed just over a year ago and now party chairman Gábor Vona and other prominent Jobbik politicians are regular guests. Fortunately, most of ATV’s hosts are skilled, shrewd journalists and they are able to scratch below Jobbik’s new, “improved” and […]

by · May 4, 2015 · Politics
Hungarian Red Army monument in Újpest. Fidesz and Jobbik have partnered to have it demolished.

History wars: Hungarian radical leftist writes to college classmate, Gábor Vona

Hungary is a small country and early twentieth century author Frigyes Karinthy’s theory on the six degrees of separation isn’t really applicable to a society of this size. As it turns out, during his university days, the chairman of the Left Party (Balpárt), Szilárd Kalmár, lived in the same dorms as Gábor Vona, the leader of the far-right Jobbik party. […]

by · April 22, 2015 · Focus
The new warm, friendly face of Jobbik? There are more and more photos of Gábor Vona that portray him as a warm, modern, average guy, including this one, which appears on his public Facebook profile.

Jobbik’s Gábor Vona made to look prime ministerial in Magyar Nemzet interview

The Magyar Nemzet daily, owned by Fidesz-oligarch Lajos Simicska, who had a very public falling out with his long-time friend and former roommate Viktor Orbán, published a lengthy interview with Gábor Vona, leader of the far-right Jobbik party this weekend. It’s most certainly a long-shot to think of Mr. Vona as a prime minister-in-waiting, but it has also now become […]

by · March 29, 2015 · Focus
Who finances right-wing Hungarian portals in North America?

Who finances right-wing Hungarian portals in North America?

There is growing concern that Putin’s Russia established a network of websites to spread disinformation and political propaganda in the US.  And how about Viktor Orbán’s Hungary? According to public records the Clevelandi Magyarokért Foundation was registered on December 5, 2019 in North Olmsted, Ohio as a non-profit entity.   Within weeks the organization received 1.5 million Ft support from the Orbán government.  […]

by · June 3, 2021 · Politics
Celebrating a fascist icon.

Géza Szőcs has died

Géza Szőcs, poet and former Secretary of State for Culture in the early years of the Orbán government, has died at age 67 from COVID-19. Whenever I read his name I am reminded of Elie Wiesel’s words: “It is with profound dismay and indignation that I learned of your participation, together with Hungarian Secretary of State for Culture Géza Szőcs […]

by · November 7, 2020 · Culture
Waiting for the opposition

Waiting for the opposition

In recent months, the air has become cleaner, the home office has operated, gardening has become a fashion, home cooking and slow food have regained its charm, and musicians have started composing hilarious Trianon songs. But Hungarian politics, like some dirty, smeared river, reached another chasm, its vortex accelerated. Viktor Orbán authorized the parliament to authorize Viktor Orbán with a […]

by · May 20, 2020 · Focus