Recently in the spotlight

Cziffra and his wife Soleika

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 have also rewritten the life story of pianist Georges (György) Cziffra. The piano virtuoso was born one hundred years ago in Budapest.  Hungary allocated 500 million forints (EUR 1.4m) celebrating […]

by · November 17, 2021 · Culture
From left Hungary’s Ambassador to Washington Szabolcs Takács, Balázs Orbán with his book, Daniel McCarthy, Helen Andrews and Sohrab Ahmari

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 Orbán’s pro-Putin and pro-China stand.  No active American politician (republican or democrat) would support him publicly. Budapest now relies on a small, “fringe” group of conservative individuals and organizations to deliver […]

by · October 31, 2021 · Politics
The failed 1956 Hungarian Revolution – the Soviets blamed the West just like Orbán does today

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 the Baltimore Sun reported from Moscow that the Soviets had spread their version why Russian troops were fighting in Hungary.  Not surprisingly, they put the blame unequivocally on the West […]

by · October 23, 2021 · Politics
Péter Márki-Zay to lead the united democratic opposition in bid to topple Orbán

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 […]

by · October 17, 2021 · Politics
Orbán first objects, then accepts global minimum tax proposal

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 […]

by · October 10, 2021 · Politics
Kossuth at Niagara University

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 […]

by · September 29, 2021 · Diaspora
Mayor Breed, please don’t invite diplomats of the Orbán Government

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 […]

by · September 14, 2021 · Diaspora
A meeting with dictatorial Viktor Orbán would tarnish Pope Francis’ reputation

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 […]

by · September 8, 2021 · Focus
Larger (and stranger) than life.

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 […]

by · August 27, 2021 · Culture
Tucker Carlson listens intently to Mr. Orbán.

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 […]

by · August 11, 2021 · Politics