The Orbán government’s decision to award one of its own with a state medal–Fidesz founder and rabidly racist columnist Zsolt Bayer–has convinced a growing number of prominent Hungarians to return their state distinctions in protest. The message is clear and simple: if the singularly foul-mouthed Mr. Bayer can be recognized by the Orbán regime with the Hungarian Middle Cross–a publicist […]
Standing next to a boat used by refugees to reach safer shores, Germany’s Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki begged Europeans not to turn a blind eye to the plight of migrants. “Someone who lets people drown in the Mediterranean also drowns God — every day, thousands of times.” Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster asked Catholics to protest against immigration policies that […]
We all know and admire the art of Maestro Placido Domingo, the great opera singer, conductor and musical director. He was born in Spain, raised in Mexico; his singing career blossomed in the United States and continued in Europe. The 75-year old is well known in Budapest, he visited Hungary several times and the Maestro even considered bringing Ferenc Erkel’s […]
Over the last couple of weeks United States F-16 fighter planes and several hundred US National Guard Airmen have been deployed at the Pápa airbase in Hungary in conjunction with Operation Atlantic Resolve, the largest and most complicated air integration mission in the region since the end of the Balkan operations. (Read more about it here.) The US Department of […]
Unlike what we witnessed in Great Britain, Hungarians will not be able to vote in a referendum on whether to leave the European Union–often referred to as Huxit–following a decision this week by the National Election Commission (Nemzeti Választási Bizottság – NVB). A populist, right-wing former mayor from the town of Monok submitted a proposed referendum to the NVB, demanding that Hungarians […]
Mátyás Eörsi, a prominent member of the Democratic Coalition (Demokratikus Koalíció – DK) and formerly a Member of Parliament for the now defunct Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ) announced that he spoke with Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó and the Orbán government intends to nominate him for the position of General Secretary of the Community of Democracies. This international organization includes countries, […]
Tibor Navracsics, one of Fidesz’s most prominent politicians and currently the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, spoke this weekend at a symposium organized by a foundation affiliated with the Politics Can Be Different green party (Lehet Más a Politika – LMP). Mr. Navracsics, who is considered a dove within Fidesz, especially now that he works for the European […]
Two polls are making headlines in Hungary. One of them examines perceptions of government-sanctioned corruption, while the other one explores the popularity of Hungary’s political parties. The results of the two polls, when explored side-by-side, are paradoxical. Medián’s poll, released today, shows that fully two-thirds of all Hungarians feel that corruption is “very” characteristic of the ruling Fidesz party. In fact, […]
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán did not mince his words on Tuesday in Budapest, at a joint press conference with Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern. On the same day that Hillary Clinton formally became the presidential nominee of the U.S. Democratic Party, the Hungarian Prime Minister declared the following: “Republican foreign policy is good for Europe and represents life for Hungary. In contrast, the Democratic Party’s […]
Many in the West still fail to understand that Fidesz is a significantly more extremist party than Jobbik. Some of the founders of Fidesz, most notably Zsolt Bayer, one of the country’s most popular columnists and a close friend of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, publishes the type of explicit hate speech and vitriol that almost nobody else dares to express, […]
