Orbán vows crackdown on foreign-funded media and NGOs
Photo: Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary (Getty Images)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has promised to rid his country of those he believes are working for the interests of foreign nations. He stated that his right-wing government would dismantle a global "shadow army" serving the European Union and the "liberal American empire," informs the Associated Press.
In his speech, filled with conspiracy theories, Orbán addressed several thousand loyal supporters. The speech coincided with Hungary's national holiday celebrating the 1848 Hungarian Revolution against Habsburg rule. Orbán stated that in the coming weeks, Hungary would root out media outlets and other organizations that had received funding from abroad. He compared these groups to insects.
"After today’s festive gathering comes the Easter cleaning. The bugs have overwintered. We will dismantle the financial machine that has used corrupt dollars to buy politicians, judges, journalists, pseudo-NGOs, and political activists. We will eliminate the entire shadow army," he declared.
The Associated Press notes that Orbán, who has been in power since 2010, has recently used the March 15 celebrations as a platform to deliver increasingly hostile speeches against the EU, which Hungary joined in 2004. He has often compared the European bloc to the Soviet Union, which occupied and suppressed Hungary for nearly five decades in the 20th century. Orbán also promised to "occupy" the corridors of power in Europe.
Following the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, Hungary's prime minister has intensified his long-standing efforts to suppress critics, such as media outlets, human rights, and anti-corruption groups. According to Orbán, these groups undermine Hungary's sovereignty by receiving financial support from international donors.
Recently, the Financial Times reported that the EU agreed to remove three Russians from its sanctions list at Hungary's request. However, European leaders' patience is running thin.
In particular, many officials are once again discussing the possibility of using Article 7 procedures against Hungary — the strongest option for depriving an EU member state of its voting rights.
