In spring 2o22, for the first time ever, Hungary’s strongman ruler Viktor Orbán will face a united opposition running a single slate of candidates spanning Jobbik on the right to the Democratic Coalition on the liberal left. This rainbow coalition, more disciplined in maintaining the united front needed to finally topple the rule of Viktor Orbán than ever before, will […]
Anyone who watches Fox News entertainer Tucker Carlson’s shows recognizes that the popular right-wing television host is a frequent and vociferous critic of China. Mr. Carlson refers regularly to Covid-19 as the “China virus” or the “Wuhan virus,” mostly as a type of verbal nod to his viewers who are irritated with political correctness. Mr. Carlson cultivates a “tell it […]
“Save our children!” This exhortation appeared on the bumpers of dusty North American pick-up trucks, on the darker corners of the Internet and occasionally on Facebook newsfeeds, signaling that many of us have acquaintances, friends and contacts who have bought into the worst and the most irrational of conspiracy theories. We’re talking about the likes of “Pizza Gate.” The European […]
The very worst authoritarian regimes — the ones that divert airlines in order to arrest journalists, poison and imprison their critics, beat opposition activists and produce hostage videos of forced confessions — also know how to smile. Belarus has decided to shutter its embassy in Ottawa, after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a fairly tough line this week against […]
What happened on Sunday on a Ryanair flight within the European Union ought to serve as a frigid shower for anyone who ventures into opposition or activist journalism. Ryanair was flying between the capitals of Greece and Lithuania on Sunday when it briefly passed through Belarusian airspace shortly before it was due to land in Vilnius. Under the false pretext […]
This month, we are witness to an eyebrow-raising development in Hungary. A new English-language journal entitled Hungarian Conservative is being launched on April 15th by the Batthyány Lajos Foundation — a non-profit group dating back to 1991 and established by Hungary’s first democratically elected prime minister, József Antall. The Batthyányi Circle of Professors, affiliared with this foundation, has been critical of […]
In 2020, Vinum Tokaj Canada Inc., owned by Sándor Balla, was awarded nearly C$4 million (944,880,000 forints) from Hungarian public funds to operate an office and warehouse in Toronto, as well as provide marketing services for the promotion of Hungarian businesses and products. Of all the funding envelopes allocated by the Orbán government to Canada since 2010, this was the largest. […]
It’s something of a funeral, although with certain glimmers of hope, at Budapest’s Klubrádió: the last remaining pro-democracy talk radio station in Hungary. Hungarian courts, beholden to the Fidesz party state, have decided to strip the station of its FM frequency, citing legal “infractions.” In essence, the station’s frequency license will expire at midnight on Valentine’s Day and the authorities […]
The Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship, a Methodist community led by Reverend Gábor Iványi, was one of two faith groups to receive positive news this week. The other community is a Buddhist organization called Dzsaj Bhím (Jai Bhim), which ministers to the Roma minority and operates a school. After having been stripped of both their status as a church and of their right […]
I don’t think anyone who has deeper insights into Hungarian politics was especially surprised when it became public that Fidesz co-founder and MEP József Szájer attended an all-male orgy at an apartment in Brussels in November, which was raided by police for violating pandemic gathering restrictions. Mr. Szájer fled the scene and had on his person a backpack containing illegal […]
