Recently in the spotlight

Káosz / Chaos. Source: Pieris.hu -- Hungarian Interactive Portal of Contemporary Art / Artist: "sin of god"

Bell Canada — The collapse of Sympatico email and how corporate irresponsibility left Canadians in the lurch

Thousands of Canadians have found themselves suddenly without email access, isolated from family and friends, and their small businesses or freelance careers in peril–thanks to an astounding level of irresponsibility by Bell Canada. I am one of many Canadians impacted by the apparent collapse of Bell Canada’s webmail program, the dearth of candid updates from the Canadian telecommunications giant and […]

by · August 26, 2016 · Focus
The Orbán regime's largest and most expensive PR exercise in Canada to date.

Hungarian government opens a can of worms in Montreal

Leaders of the European Union have been scratching their heads for years about Hungarian strongman, Viktor Orbán’s civil rights abuses, and anti-liberal conduct. This past week, and on the eve of the Hungarian government’s biggest PR show in Montreal, EU leaders, along with some members of the Montreal Hungarian community, are tearing their hair out. Many are wondering, why the […]

by · August 25, 2016 · Diaspora
Simon Wiesenthal Center

Wiesenthal Center: Hungary’s chair of International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance “cynical act of political manipulation”

The Simon Wiesenthal Center issued a scathing statement on Hungary’s Orbán government, after the regime in Budapest decided to award rabidly racist columnist Zsolt Bayer, who has advocated for genocide against the Roma minority and has bemoaned that more Jews were not murdered in a pogrom in 1919/20, with a major national award. The Hungarian Free Press has long shared […]

by · August 24, 2016 · Antisemitism
Mr. Quentin Tarantino, Mr. Béla Bunyik, Founder of the Hungarian Film Festival in California and Mr. Andy Vajna, Film Commissioner of the Hungarian Government.

Quentin Tarantino, it is time to return your Hungarian Order of the Knight’s Cross

Hungary’s utterly racist political journalist Zsolt Bayer has received the Order of Merit of the Knight’s Cross from the President of Hungary János Áder. Mr. Bayer is a founding member of the ruling Fidesz party and a friend of Viktor Orbán, the country’s authoritarian Prime Minister. (Read more here.) Mr. Bayer is a columnist for the rightwing daily Magyar Hírlap. […]

by · August 24, 2016 · Antisemitism
The logo of the Hungarian Two-tailed Dog Party

Plans to sabotage Hungary’s anti-migrant referendum gain steam

It’s time to take the Hungarian Two-tailed Dog Party seriously, after they managed to raise more than 15 million forints ($56,000) in just one week to publicize their idea of sabotaging the Orbán government’s looming anti-migrant and anti-EU referendum. Known in Hungarian as the Magyar Kétfarkú Kutya Párt (MKKP), the party which started off as grassroots satire of Hungarian politics, officially registered […]

by · August 23, 2016 · Politics
Zsolt Bayer (left) receiving his award from János Lázár. Photo: MTI.

Hungarians return national awards to protest racist Zsolt Bayer’s medal

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 […]

by · August 22, 2016 · Politics
Reformed Great Church float with the building behind.

National Holiday and the Debrecen Flower Parade

August 20th is a National Holiday commemorating Stephen I. who ruled Hungary from 1000 until his death in 1038. When I was growing up in Debrecen this holiday was called Constitution Day, now it is again St. Stephen’s Day. It is also the day of the “new bread”, the first bake from the virgin harvest and in Debrecen, this is […]

by · August 21, 2016 · Culture
Mária Schmidt (left) with Desmond Child (right) at the Budapest House of Terror.  Photo: MTI.

Hungary’s recycled Desmond Child song an embarrassing start to 1956 anniversary

American songwriter Desmond Child’s piece Steps of Champions should have been a major media coup for Hungary’s Orbán government. After all, Desmond Child–an American-Hungarian dual citizen who had worked with music legends such as Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Cher, Bonnie Tyler, Ricky Martin and Kiss–had been successfully enlisted by Hungary’s government to write the official anthem of the sixtieth anniversary commemorations […]

by · August 20, 2016 · Focus
Milán Schruff, Emőke Piti and film director Péter Gárdos.

Milán Schruff – a remarkable young actor from Hungary

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I saw the Hungarian film entitled Fever at Dawn (Hajnali Láz). This feature film was directed by Péter Gárdos based on his bestseller about his father’s quest to find healing and love after World War II in the short time the doctors said he had left. I was interested in the movie […]

by · August 19, 2016 · Culture
János Zuschlag: From Party Headquarters to Prison.

A review of János Zuschlag’s book From Party Headquarters to Prison (Part 1)

János Zuschlag was only 21 years old when he became a Member of Parliament for the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) in 1998 and the country’s youngest MP. Nine years later, he was charged with fraud and received an eight year prison sentence. He spent six years behind bars, before being released in 2013. In the middle of the 2014 national […]

by · August 18, 2016 · Focus