Recently in the spotlight

Caricatures of Mr. Eörsi and his decision were quick to appear. This one is a play on Fidesz's xenophobic campaign ads a play on the former slogan of Mr. Eörsi's Alliance of Free Democracies: "He dared to do it, and he did."

Reflections on the liberal Mátyás Eörsi’s nomination by the Orbán government

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, […]

by · August 2, 2016 · Politics
Horthy bust in Szabadság tér, Budapest.

Ronald Lauder on Hungary as the most anti-Semitic country in Europe — A collection of fascist memorabilia

Ronald Lauder, an American billionaire, prominent Republican politician, former ambassador to Austria and head of the World Jewish Congress, has Hungarian ancestry; his grandmother was born in Sátoraljaújhely.  Recently, in an interview he named Hungary the most anti-Semitic country in Europe. (read here) . Lauder specifically mentioned the statues of Hitler-supporter Regent Miklós Horthy, a self-proclaimed anti-Semite who declared war on the United States. Horthy’s policies resulted in the death […]

by · August 1, 2016 · Antisemitism
Tibor Navracsics speaking on Saturday at the Ökopolisz symposium. Photo: HírTV.

Tibor Navracsics blasts Brexit for running emotionally-driven political campaign

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 […]

by · July 31, 2016 · Politics
Budapest in Montreal / Hungarian Cultural Week in Montreal

Hungarian Cultural Week in Montreal – An exercise in hypocrisy

The Orbán government has teamed up with the Ville de Montréal and Air Canada to organize quite an extravagant week of Hungarian cultural programs in Montreal, with the aim of presenting Budapest — and by extension Hungary — as a hipster, avant-garde, inclusive and welcoming place of free-flowing and uniquely rich cultural expression. Anyone who has visited Budapest recently will […]

by · July 30, 2016 · Focus
Noémi's children have been taken away from her and put into foster care. She lives in a shack in the forest, from where she goes to work every morning to a local Tesco.

Evictions in Székesfehérvár: How the Roma Parliament is handling a housing crisis in Hungary

Residents of Székesfehérvár—largely Hungarian citizens of Roma ethnicity—have turned to our organization for assistance in confronting their housing crisis. In three meetings in July, a total of thirty families asked for the Roma Parliament to represent them and advocate for their legal rights and interests. According to the families, there are at least 60-80 households, or about 500 individuals, currently […]

by · July 29, 2016 · Focus
Ilan Mor accepting the Middle Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit from Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Péter Szijjártó. Photo: Israel in Hungary.

Urge Israeli Ambassador Ilan Mor to return his medal to Hungary!

Shame on you, Ilan Mor! The Israeli Ambassador to Hungary, Ilan Mor, accepted a Hungarian government award this week–An award which was renounced and returned by Elie Wiesel and Randolph Braham due to the whitewashing of Nazi history. “It has become increasingly clear that Hungarian authorities are encouraging the whitewashing of tragic and criminal episodes in Hungary’s past, namely the […]

by · July 29, 2016 · Antisemitism
Systemic corruption in Hungary. Illustration: Atlaszo.hu

Poll: Two-thirds of Hungarians think Fidesz is “very corrupt”

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, […]

by · July 28, 2016 · Politics
Austrian Chancellor Kern with Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán, in Budapest.

Viktor Orbán: Hillary Clinton’s party represents death for Hungary

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 […]

by · July 27, 2016 · Politics
Fr. Hamel

Responding to terrorism — The Roman Catholic Church’s only weapons are fraternity and prayer

Hungarian society is a largely secular one, even though references to the nation’s Christian heritage and “character” feature prominently in the discourse of the current government and in its press. Yet the Orbán government’s approach to refugees, the migration crisis and to those who are most vulnerable within society stands in stark contrast to the “brand” of Christianity espoused by Pope […]

by · July 27, 2016 · Culture
Zsolt Bayer is one of the most vile, openly racist publicists in Hungary. And he is not associated with Jobbik. Mr. Bayer is not only a founder of the ruling Fidesz party, but also a close friend of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Zsolt Bayer: Throw all Muslims into the garbage

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, […]

by · July 26, 2016 · Politics