Authoritarian far-right Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán knows that he can expect tougher treatment from the Biden administration after his bold bet on a win for President Donald Trump backfired. Orbán declared his admiration for Trump many times and viciously (and unwisely) attacked “corrupt” Joe Biden.
Recently pardoned White House advisor Steve Bannon even called Orbán “Trump before Trump.” In fact, Orbán was the only EU leader to endorse Trump during the 2016 election and he even adapted Trump’s slogan, “We say the same, Hungary first, and then everyone else.”
In the meantime Hungary’s freedom of the press and democracy has been backsliding. Russian and Chinese influence is growing and only Orbán’s voice can be heard. Hungary is now an “illiberal democracy.”
Orbán’s propaganda at home also used antisemitic speech to get the far-right vote and has institutionalized Holocaust falsification. Hungarian fascists became national heroes and the pro-Hitler dictator of the last century, Miklós Horthy, is now a distinguished statesman. Hungary further rewrote WWII history. The Allies are now “occupiers” and Roosevelt’s name was taken off from a Budapest square. Orbán is suspicious of Americans, especially Jews who are often called in pro-government media “Soros agents” or “libsi” a slang for Jews with liberal views.
Now Orbán has a problem. The new Secretary of State, Tony Blinken is a child of Holocaust survivors and fully aware of the Hungarian situation since his father Donald Blinken was the US Ambassador to Budapest 25 years ago.
In order to woo the Blinken clan Orbán has dispatched Katalin Bogyay, a professional charmer years ago to get close to the family. Bogyay got to know them while at UNESCO in Paris and praised profusely Tony Blinken’s stepfather, Polish Holocaust survivor, Samuel Pisar.
Now the target is Tony’s 82-year old mother, Sam Pisar’s widow, Judith Pisar. A couple of days ago Bogyay, now Hungary’s UN Ambassador posthumously awarded “A Cry for Freedom” statue to the late Samuel Pisar, “a great supporter of Hungary’s Holocaust Memorial Year.” Another photo op with the Secretary of State’s mother, the smiling Pisar.
Hungary’s UN Ambassador Katalin Bogyay (left) and Judith Pisar
Bogyay also run into Pisar and her daughter Leah, Tony Blinken’s half-sister, on the street and tweeted an official photo of the meeting! She wanted to show the world that cutesy diplomacy works. The Orbán government can successfully manage Tony Blinken in their special Hungarian way.
György Lázár
Yeah. Orban has a problem. Blinken is anything but blind.
Dear György Lázár,
Let me correct a few improperly used terms in your excellent post if you did not mind.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is not an authoritarian and not a far-right leader.
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But it is true that Orbán declared his admiration for Trump many times and unwisely, endorsed Trump during the 2016 election and he even adopted Trump’s slogan, “We say the same, Hungary first, and then everyone else.”
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It is not true that the “Orbán’s propaganda at home also used antisemitic speech”, it is a simple lie and intentional falsification of the truth from your part.
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It is not true what you wrote about “institutionalized Holocaust falsification”.
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But it is true that Roosevelt’s name was taken off from a Budapest square, and the square regains its original name of Széchenyi. The reason is that Roosevelt through Hungary to Sztálin.
It is not true that” Orbán is suspicious of Americans, especially Jews”, but it is true that he has been suspicious about George Soros who proved to be the enemy of both Israel and Hungary.
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The rest is true, George. Thank you for the good news. Orbán tries to correct his verbal mistakes toward President Biden. Let us hope that he will be able to do that successfully. Cross fingers. We are faithful friends of America independently of who is the President.
Long live the Hungarian – American friendship.
Your honoring friend,
András Fodor.
1. No love / only dislike towards Franklin D.Roosevelt from the Jewish people. His anti semitism and dislike of those asking for asylum, turning back boats into the hands of Nazis is well known. His friendship with our tormentors well known. Statue removed? Had no place in Budapest or in New York for that matter.
2. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in my humble opinion is so far the best Hungarian leader in his behavior towards the Jews who still insist living in Hungary – (a fact that I cannot understand) and in his relationship with Israel which is good so far.
3. Agree with Mr. Fodor – he said it short and to the point about Soros.
4. Tony Blinken has a long long road ahead to be liked, accepted by the Jewish people.
Just being born a Jew who sounds not to be a practicing Jew is not enough – it never was.
This article is ridiculous. It’s beyond biased, absolutely riddled with false information and outright lies. If you wish to publish opinion pieces you could still thrive to present your opinion in a relatively objective manner with factual information to support your stance. I’m ashamed for you, you should have nothing to do with journalism.
So Hungary’s media, with about 3/4 pro Orban bias is not free, but Western MSM with about 90% left of center bias that is increasingly exposing a complete lack of journalistic professionalism is free? Interesting! And what about academia? In Western World, left of center bias is about 95%, with the 5% of dissenting academics increasingly laying silent for fear of job loss. And now there is no longer denying of Big Tech censorship, as well as most of the corporate world siding on the same ideological side. The ideological tyranny of the Western World is now increasingly absolute. And you continue to call Hungary “authoritarian”???
Dear Dr. Fodor, Viktor Orbán often praises and quotes racists and anti-Semites. May I bring to your attention his 2009 letter to the City of Pomáz where he profusely praised Albert Wass who called Jews rats… Now Budapest is exporting these ideas… A couple of weeks ago Hungarian diplomat Anikó Kubatov brought the same message to Florida… FYI Roosevelt’s name was taken off because Jobbik Hungary’s then neo-Nazi party suggested it at the Budapest City Council… and you probably know that his nickname in far-right circles is “Jewsvelt”…
Lazar Gyorgy makes the argument that Albert Wass needs to be shunned because he called Jews rats. Imre Kertesz called Hungarians all sorts of nasty names. Yet they gave him a Nobel. Is the Nobel prize anti-Hungarian then? And should not anyone who praises Kertesz be labeled as someone who hates Hungarians? I believe in the concept of equality, don’t you?
O1G is a mercilessly dangerous bastard, a parasite on the body of the EU.
In short, a scumbag! A cunning, well fed, hypocritical pig, an ugly nazi whose intention is to deceive everybody.