Introduction At the start of the new year, Black Rose Books and the University of Chicago Press announced the world-wide release of a new volume of essays on a revolution that threatened to derail not only the emerging world order after World War I but irritates to this day one of the most sensitive nerve endings of a people’s collective […]
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Remembering Éva Balogh (1936 – 2021)
Éva S. Balogh, the singularly dedicated editor and main contributor of Hungarian Spectrum died on November 30th of cardiac arrest. For over a decade, she dedicated her life to reporting on and analysing...
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The Orbán-regime rewrites the memoirs of pianist Georges Cziffra
Viktor Orbán and most of his Fidesz party leaders started their careers as promising young Communist leaders. Today they are staunch anti-Communists and have rewritten their life stories. Now they...
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Orbán brings his anti-West campaign to the United States
Hungary started an unprecedented campaign in the United States to bring Orbán’s xenophobic, homophobic, racist and anti-Semitic message to US audiences. His government is isolated in the US due to...
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The failed 1956 Hungarian Revolution – the Soviets blamed the West just like Orbán does today
Sixty-five years ago Soviet troops crushed the Hungarian Revolution. The Soviet Union started a propaganda campaign blaming the West for the uprising and the bloodshed. Howard Norton, a journalist with...
Recently in the spotlight
Péter Márki-Zay to lead the united democratic opposition in bid to topple Orbán
In spring 2o22, for the first time ever, Hungary’s strongman ruler Viktor Orbán will face a united opposition running a single slate of candidates spanning Jobbik on the right to the Democratic Coalition on the liberal left. This rainbow coalition, more disciplined in maintaining the united front needed to finally topple the rule of Viktor Orbán than ever before, will […]
Orbán first objects, then accepts global minimum tax proposal
One major goals of the Biden administration was to overhaul international tax rules and establish a 15 percent global minimum tax. The US wanted to reverse a decades-long race to the bottom of corporate tax rates after many major corporations shifted headquarters and profits to low-tax jurisdictions, depriving countries of much needed tax money to build new infrastructure, support education […]
Kossuth at Niagara University
Last November a new Kossuth statue arrived to Boston. It weighed about half a ton and Honorary Consul Gábor Garai asked local Hungarian Americans to store it in their garage. The statue, a generous present of the Orbán government to the City of Boston and planned to be installed at Faneuil Hall, where Lajos Kossuth gave a speech in 1852 […]
Mayor Breed, please don’t invite diplomats of the Orbán Government
I was shocked to learn that Consul András Doncsev of the far-right Hungarian Government was present at San Francisco City Hall’s August 20th event. The photo of the one-time speech-writer of authoritarian PM Viktor Orbán was taken at City Hall and triumphantly distributed at the San Francisco Honorary Consulate’s Facebook site. Mr. Doncsev represents a government which promotes racist, homophobic […]
A meeting with dictatorial Viktor Orbán would tarnish Pope Francis’ reputation
Will Pope Francis meet Hungary’s far-right authoritarian Viktator? Well, it depends who do you ask. Orbán controlled Hungarian media claims that Francis will meet Hungarian President János Áder and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on the morning of September 12 at the Museum of Fine Arts. (Click here to read) The Pope himself never expressed desire to meet Orbán who desperately needs a […]
Budapest Pride? Munich 1938? No, it is Saint Stephen’s Day 2021 in Budapest
Half-naked body-painted men are pulling a giant aluminum Turul bird on Budapest streets. Shamans, elk-costumes and a Greek female phalanx are marching. Bystanders are scratching their heads. What is going on? August 20th is Saint Stephen’s Day in Hungary. It is the celebration of the foundation of the Hungarian State. It is also known as Constitution Day, the end of […]
Hungary teaches Tucker Carlson a lesson
Anyone who watches Fox News entertainer Tucker Carlson’s shows recognizes that the popular right-wing television host is a frequent and vociferous critic of China. Mr. Carlson refers regularly to Covid-19 as the “China virus” or the “Wuhan virus,” mostly as a type of verbal nod to his viewers who are irritated with political correctness. Mr. Carlson cultivates a “tell it […]
Pope Francis, President Biden and Viktor Orbán the “totalitarian thug”
Tucker Carlson from Fox News was in Budapest and conducted an interview with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. I found part of their conversation intriguing. Here is the official transcript. CARLSON: When the President of the United States describes you as a totalitarian thug, it’s a very serious thing to say about somebody, I would note. I mean, that suggests that, […]
Justice Minister Varga attacks Lewis Hamilton for his condemnation Hungary’s “cowardly” anti-LGBTQ+ laws
I pinched myself when I read the very personal (and very public) attack by 40-year-old Hungarian Justice Minister, Judit Varga, against 36-year-old Formula One race car driver superstar, Lewis Hamilton. Is she serious? Attacking Hamilton’s character and competence because he condemned Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ legislation? Here is this strange story. British-born Hamilton is a seven-time world champion and eight-time winner of […]
Meet Ambassador Maria Vass-Salazar, Hungary’s new top diplomat in Ottawa
Little is known about the new Hungarian Ambassador to Ottawa; she keeps her cards close to her chest. To be honest, I was surprised to learn that she got the job, a fairly important diplomatic assignment. I have a feeling that she was also surprised. Ambassador Vass-Salazar is in her late 40s, married, has two girls and had numerous diplomatic […]
