All the while, he and his allies peddle a traditionalist, ethnic nationalism and constantly sound the alarm over the rather illusory menace posed by immigrants, minorities and refugees — or “invaders,” as Orban described them — to Hungary’s way of life. Like a number of Republican state governments in the United States, Orban has sought to make Hungarian education more “patriotic.” In his attacks on various civil society institutions, Orban has been accused of invoking antisemitic tropes. The Hungarian parliament recently passed anti-LGBT legislation that prompted furious backlash elsewhere on the continent, with some European leaders calling for Hungary’s departure from the E.U. And under Orban’s watch, Hungary appears to have deployed military-grade spyware to tap the phones of independent journalists and dissidents, a slap in the face of the E.U.’s strict digital privacy protections. (Orban’s office responded to the allegations with a broad statement asserting its continued governance by “rule of law.”)

Source: Washington Post August 04, 2021 03:56 UTC