Recently in the spotlight

Ofir Gross

Ofir Gross, Israeli man brutally murdered in Hungary in April. They thought he was a migrant…

The disturbing story of an Israeli man’s brutal murder in Hungary earlier this year made headlines in the independent Hungarian media, but had little coverage in the international English-language press. Yet the murder appears to have been racially-motivated and this story is linked to the state-led hate campaign against Syrian refugees and migrants. HFP’s György Lázár shares this story with […]

by · December 1, 2016 · East
MSZP's party logo, with the slogan "we are building community."

Socialists propose opposition primaries–Will it energize Hungarian voters?

The Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) is taking a leaf from France’s political playbook and is suggesting a system of opposition primaries ahead of Hungary’s 2018 parliamentary elections, in order to ensure that the liberals and the left-centre field a single candidate in each of the 106 ridings and also nominate a joint candidate for prime minister. The recent primaries among […]

by · November 30, 2016 · Politics
Mayor László Toroczkai with his wife and children, at Ásotthalom town limits.

Ásotthalom–the Hungarian town that banned Muslims and gays in public

Ásotthalom (population: 4,200) is a small town in southeastern Hungary, located a mere 3 km from the border with Serbia. Since 2013, the town has been led by Jobbik Mayor László Toroczkai, who is also the far-right party’s vice president. In 2015, the town made news for producing a bizarre, Hollywood-esque video awkwardly entitled “Message to Illegal Immigrants from Hungary” […]

by · November 29, 2016 · Politics
Did Trump really invite pro-China, pro-Putin Orbán to the White House?

Did Trump really invite pro-China, pro-Putin Orbán to the White House?

Viktor Orbán is one of the first European leader to secure an invitation to the Trump White House. At least this is what Mr. Orbán says. The Hungarian Prime Minister is known for making grandiose statements and organize publicity stunts. Now Mr. Orbán says that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump invited him to Washington. The interview was published by small Hungarian […]

by · November 26, 2016 · Politics
Mr. Orbán can have his cake and eat it too. Photo: November 24, 2016. Facebook

Donald Trump: I’m a big fan of Hungary!

American President-elect Donald Trump reportedly told Prime Minister Viktor Orbán that he is a “big fan of Hungary,” after which he promised over the telephone to invite the controversial Hungarian leader to the White House following his inauguration. It was mainly Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó who gave us a peek into what apparently transpired in the telephone […]

by · November 25, 2016 · Politics
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
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán meets British Prime Minister Theresa May at 10 Downing Street on November 9th, 2016. Photo: Viktor Orbán's Facebook page.

Hungary’s Viktor Orbán–the Teflon Man

Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party had, by any standards, a terrible last month or so, yet new polling figures suggest that the popularity of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government did not suffer at all. It was revealed that Ghaith Pharaon, a Saudi businessman wanted by the FBI and Interpol for wire fraud, racketeering and allegedly funding terrorists, conducted business with a company tied […]

by · November 23, 2016 · Politics
Swimming Hall of Fame - Class of 2016

Hungarian water polo success in California

The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) had its 52nd Annual Honors Weekend October 28-30, 2016, here in Santa Clara, California. The event had originally been scheduled for June 3-5, but was postponed due to scheduling issues. ISHOF was established in 1965 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with the mission to preserve aquatic history, educate the public and promote the swimming […]

by · November 22, 2016 · Culture
Invitation: International Day Festival at St. Joseph’s Parish in Ottawa

Invitation: International Day Festival at St. Joseph’s Parish in Ottawa

Hungarian, British, Filipino, Jamaican, German, Slovak, Indo-Caribbean, Syrian and Muslim–these are some of the peoples and cultures that you can explore on November 26th, 2016, at the International Day Festival hosted by St. Joseph’s Parish. The Roman Catholic community is celebrating its 160th anniversary this fall and while it was originally built on parishioners of primarily Irish and French background, […]

by · November 21, 2016 · Culture
Viktor Orbán on November 17th. Photo: MTI.

Orbán slashes corporate capital gains tax to 9% — Hungary to offer lowest tax rate in Europe

The Orbán government surprised the business world on Thursday, including the National Alliance of Employees and Employers, when it declared without any prior consultation that the country’s capital gains tax would be slashed from 19% to just 9% in 2017. Hungary’s dramatically reduced corporate tax rate of 9% makes it even more appealing than the already low corporate taxes paid […]

by · November 17, 2016 · Politics