Focus

Hungarian teachers protest the Orbán government's education policies in Budapest earlier this year. The banner reads: I would teach. The future of our children is at stake." Photo: Népszava

Shambolic public education in Hungary — PISA survey paints grim picture

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results, showing a dramatic decline in the scores of Hungarian teenagers and an especially grim picture of just how poorly children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds fare at school. Every three years, PISA assesses the scholastic performance of 15 year old students in […]

by Christopher Adam · December 6, 2016 · Focus

András Göllner with László Rajk. Photo: C. Adam.

The Son of Rajk in Montreal (Video)

The following text is the uncut version of András Göllner’s introduction to Oscar winning film-maker László Rajk’s presentation on Art and the Holocaust, at Concordia University in Montreal, on November 4, 2016. The text includes video footage from the event. Dr. Göllner, who organized the well-attended talk, is an emeritus professor at Concordia and is the Founder of the Canadian […]

by András Göllner · November 16, 2016 · Focus

Hungary 1956: a socialist revolution

Hungarian political philosopher G. M. Tamás is a prominent, refreshing and thought-provoking public voice in Hungary on contemporary politics, socio-cultural issues, as well as the politics of memory surrounding the twentieth century past. This article was originally published in the London quarterly, International Socialism, N° 152 (Autumn 2016), pp. 111-116 and was re-published in LeftEast, the East European socialist web journal. With the […]

by Hungarian Free Press · November 8, 2016 · Focus

Canadian student asks László Rajk about Népszabadság, authoritarianism and antisemitism in Hungary

The Artistic Director of the Oscar-winning Son of Saul, László Rajk, gave an insightful talk at Concordia University in Montreal on November 4th. The event was coordinated by Professor Emeritus András Göllner, Founder of the Canadian Hungarian Democratic Charter, with many partners from the university and the local Jewish community. We will publish videos of the well-attended talk itself, which […]

by Hungarian Free Press · November 6, 2016 · Focus

From Left to right: Tim Barber, Co-Founder of Canada2020., Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, András B. Göllner, Founder, Canadian Hungarian Democratic Charter

Justin Trudeau and the Orbán government’s war on liberal values

By: András B. Göllner As the Hungarian government’s anti-liberal, anti-refugee referendum campaign headed into its home stretch, liberal and progressive leaders from around the world, held their own rally in Montreal, under the patronage of Canada’s Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau. The location for this gathering of global progressives was Montreal’s famed Ritz Carlton Hotel, and the Musée des […]

by András Göllner · October 7, 2016 · Focus

Pál Maléter – Anti-fascist World War II partisan and hero of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution

This year we celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and Freedom Fight. Pál Maléter was one of the most important actors in the events. He was unusual, complex and his intentions were often misunderstood by the revolutionaries. Some might even say that Maléter became the “accidental martyr” who is rarely written about in English. About 600 Hungarian […]

by György Lázár · October 5, 2016 · Focus

Budapest explosion takes a strange turn

The narrative surrounding the explosion that seriously injured two police officers in Central Budapest on Saturday night, exactly one week before the country’s anti-migrant referendum, is beginning to take a rather strange turn. It was odd enough that Hungarian authorities said nothing formally about the attack and no press conference was held until 20 hours after the incident, leaving the […]

by Christopher Adam · September 26, 2016 · Focus

Hungary's national police chief, Károly Papp, speaks to reporters at a news conference Sunday evening, following the Saturday night explosion in Budapest. Photo: Screen shot from M1 live broadcast.

Attacker targeted Budapest police in bombing — Manhunt underway in Hungarian capital

There is “no doubt” in the mind of Hungary’s national police chief, Károly Papp, that police officers were the explicit targets of the explosion that occurred Saturday night just after 10:30 PM and which severely injured two officers on patrol near the corner of Teréz Körút and Király utca. Police Chief Papp held a news conference in Budapest early Sunday […]

by Christopher Adam · September 25, 2016 · Focus

Teréz Körút closed off on Sunday morning, with investigators looking for clues following the explosion Saturday night. Photo: Péter Lakatos/MTI.

Mysterious explosion in Budapest seriously injures two

A bomb went off late Saturday night in central Budapest, seriously injuring two police officers. Preliminary information suggests that an explosive device was detonated in a store located on Teréz Körút and the nails found in the area indicate that it may have been a nail bomb. The two officers were patrolling the area when the bomb went off, shortly […]

by Christopher Adam · September 25, 2016 · Focus

Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó, standing in front of the banner of the Hungarian National Trading House.

Controversial Hungarian National Trading House to open office in Canada

The Hungarian National Trading House, affiliated with Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has been amassing significant financial losses and is mired in corruption allegations, yet it is now expanding to Canada. The MNKH Hungarian National Trading House Cls. published public procurement and bidding documentation online for parties interested in the “creation, operation and management of a Trading House […]

by Christopher Adam · September 19, 2016 · Focus