in order to support the government anti-immigration campaign.
SONOS is seen as the main financier of NGO system supporting refugees and migrants'
coming to Hungary. So this is the main reason why there is an opposition
between SONOS and the government anti-immigration campaign. Nevertheless, it's
necessary to say that SONOS is not the direct political rival of Viktor Orbán.
The rivalry between the two is strictly personal. Is Orbán perceiving SONOS as a
possible enemy? Science is financing a lot of NGOs and organizations through
SONOS Open Society Foundation, which often works against the political
mechanism settled up by the government. So I think this is the main reason why we
can see SONOS posters now in Budapest. No, not now, but like three weeks ago, because
now, swimming in San Francisco, it started and so they have been withdrawn by the government.
I would affirm that this is not the first time of such a political campaign. It's
not always towards a personified enemy, but it has been made against Brussels
during the campaign for the referendum against the migrant quota last October.
And then it has been made in this spring around April, March and May. It was possible to see
around Budapest some posters with the written like, stop Brussels, because the
government started a personal, an individual survey, sending letters and
surveys to voters from all the country to struggle against Brussels mistakes. So we
can see that the government used this strategy of finding an enemy in foreign
institutions, foreign individuals and so on to like create a common and shared
vision of Hungary, maybe not as a victim, but as a like a country which has been
obstacled in its path towards a proper independence.
Concerning to this topic, I think there are three main aspects that
necessitate to be considered. The first one is related to the perception of
migrants, migrant crisis refugees and which brings them to xenophobia in
Hungary. First of all, Hungary never experienced such an amount of refugees in
the country since like in the last 180 years we can say. So it's really easy for
parties and for government to stress on the amount of refugees. Science people and
public opinion cannot have a real perception of what does it mean to have
a huge flow of migrants in the country, because they never been a frontline
country. It's the first time in history. But we have to take into account that
there is a really small amount of refugees which applied for for asylum in
Hungary. We had like 30,000 requests in the last year and just 500 of them have
been accepted and EU with the quota system asked it to Hungary to take like
around 1200 refugees. So the numbers given by the government and the parties
are not matching with the number given by EU and data. The third aspect to take
into consideration is that Yoblik has always showed its anti-Semitic
xenophobic ideas and it always stressed on these topics to rely on feelings and
issues and prejudice deeply rooted in Hungarian feelings. Now we can notice a
shift. Science feedbacks need to win the election in 2018. So it's shifting its
kind of politics to a more far-right like idea and vision and is going to cover
that I mean its aim is to cover that part of voters which were earlier
covered by Yoblik. And then the last aspect to take into consideration is that
anti-Semitism is about anti-Semitism. First of all it is necessary to say that after
seven world war Hungary and Budapest is the main melting pot of Jewish in
Eastern Central Europe is the biggest is the largest community of Jews in Eastern
Central Europe. There are more than 20 synagogues in Budapest. So there is a
quite well-settled community in the country. Nevertheless it is possible
to find in Hungarian population rooted prejudices and feelings which according
to me maybe were latent in the previous years but now I like have been
simulated by these extreme right political parties. So they are coming out
again but I'm not able to say to what extent they could be seriously being
undertaken by population like or they just like slogan for political for
reaching political support. And this is the same with Roma. I mean I think that
Hungary always had felt figured out by minorities and this is the reason why they
are like a problem now even with Roma in the last years. First of all I think that
from an Hungarian point of view there is no chance of exit from you. It's not in
the main name of Varman, it's not in the main name of Fidesz supporter, it's not on
the main name of voters. Hungarian and Hungary know how much being part of EU
it's important for them and it's important for their development and their
position within EU and within Eastern Central European countries. I think that
the main consequences of nationalism and populism in Hungary could be I mean are
already being settled by the decision of EU of maybe applying article seven
against Hungary sanction and infringement procedure. Nevertheless I think even that
Hungary maybe will retract some of his issues for being into accord with EU.
The main name of the government position I think is to be like a standpoint from
other Eastern partners like maybe Romania, Bulgaria and Visigrad countries in
general. So it's to stand against some issues which they don't like about EU
maybe they perceive it a lack of democracy, they perceive to be second
class members and this is a way to reach we can say a relevant position in EU.
