Hungarian PM accused of ‘anti-Semitic’ undertones in election rally speech

Viktor Orban

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban used language which some critics have said has anti-Semitic undertones.

Speaking at a rally, three weeks before he seeks re-election for a third term, in Budapest, Orban harshly criticised proponents of immigration. He also called out George Soros, the Hungary-born Jewish financier and philanthropist, and those who support his “open society” ideals.

“We are fighting an enemy that is different from us. Not open, but hiding; not straightforward but crafty; not honest but base; not national but international; does not believe in working but speculates with money; does not have its own homeland but feels it owns the whole world,” Orban said, according to the Guardian’s Shaun Walker.

Orban referred to Soros as “Uncle George” and compared him to Hungary’s historical foes, such as the Ottoman Empire, the Hapsburgs and the Soviet Union. He emphasised that Hungary and the rest of Western Europe is experiencing an invasion of immigrants that will turn native-born Europeans into a minority.

Soros’ Open Society Foundations says it has spent nearly £290m in Hungary since 1984 promoting “independent journalism, fighting corruption, supporting civic participation, and combating discrimination.” Orban has objected to the organisation’s calls for greater tolerance of refugees and migrants.

Orban and far-right activists have attacked Soros for well over a year, waging a campaign that has involved billboards and other advertisements. Some Hungarian Jews, in addition to Soros himself, find the campaign anti-Semitic.