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How Hungary Became a Haven for the Alt-Right

From The Atlantic

The increasingly illiberal European country offers shelter to a growing number of international nationalists.

In February 2017, at the state of the nation address, Viktor Orbán, the prime minister of Hungary and the leader of the far-right, anti-immigrant Fidesz party, offered his vision for the country in the coming year. “We shall let in true refugees: Germans, Dutch, French, and Italians, terrified politicians and journalists who here in Hungary want to find the Europe they have lost in their homelands,” he proclaimed.

In reality, Orbán’s “refugees” have been moving to Hungary, and Budapest in particular, for years. A small clique of Identitarians, or aggrieved nationalists from Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and elsewhere, all motivated by their disdain for their home countries’ commitment to liberal values, have found an ideological match in his Hungary, where two extreme far-right parties, the governing Fidesz and Jobbik, the largest opposition party, make up most of the National Assembly. Jobbik is the first European political party to champion a border wall. Its members frequently express open anti-Semitic and anti-Roma sentiments, and prioritize the preservation of “Hungary for the Hungarians.”

This transformation has allowed a system of far-right culture leaders to flourish in Budapest. Coming from all over Europe and the United States, they have created a structured propaganda circuit, in the hopes of spreading their ideas far and wide.

At the center of the scene is a publishing house called Arktos Media. It is routinely referred to as the preeminent publisher of the alt-right by those within the movement and experts who study it, and is known for translating many canonical alt-right texts into English, including the first full-text English translations of Russian theorist Alexander Dugin—characterized variously on the left and right as “the intellectual guru of Putinism,” and “Putin’s Rasputin.” Dugin’s “ethnonationalism,” a belief in the creation of ethnically homogenous nation states, has been championed by white nationalists, who argue that Europe and America are innately white nations. Arktos titles largely promote a viewpoint it characterizes as “alternatives to modernity” that are critical of liberalism, human rights, and modern democracy.
 
So what makes Orban ''alt-right'' anyway? Both Orban and his party are not new when it comes to Hungarian politics. Isn't it more like traditional right?
 
“We shall let in true refugees: Germans, Dutch, French, and Italians, terrified politicians and journalists who here in Hungary want to find the Europe they have lost in their homelands,”

As opposed to those pesky Syrians fleeing from literal death and destruction
 

Murkas

Member
Germans
Itallians
French
Dutch

"Refugees"

200_s.gif
 
Did you read what he said ? Utter racism and xenophobia is an alt right thing

I'd say utter racism and xenophobia has much bigger reach in Hungary than just some ''alt right'' sector.

Jobbik I suppose could be called that since it's fairly new party and they are on a whole different level of radical proposals it seems.
 

roytheone

Member
I uh, get the feeling most of those are very comfortable within their own borders.

I think he means people in those countries afraid to speak their mind because they are very right wing and would be persecuted for that. Which is a bunch of bullshit of course.
 
Hungary is hipster as far as the alt right are concerned, the orthodox far right has always done well there.

Which is shit as Budapest is an amazing city.
 
So what makes Orban ''alt-right'' anyway? Both Orban and his party are not new when it comes to Hungarian politics. Isn't it more like traditional right?

They are traditional right just like Polish PIS is but European left has a habit of calling everyone who doesn't share their ideas "fascist" because for years it worked and scared people from voting for those parties.

It worked till Internet destroyed left leaning tv stations monopoly on information.

Generally best way to distinguish traditional right and alt-right in Europe is what they think about EU - alt-right wants to see it destroyed, right wants to see it reformed with influence of EU commission greatly reduced.
 
Ah yes fuck face Orban at it again all while

- Hungary is heavily dependent on EU funds
- is the third highest recepient of EU funds (and it's questionable where these funds actually go)

“You signed up to the values of the Union. You have violated every single one of them. And yet you want Hungary to remain a member of the European Union,” Mr Verhofstadt said. “You want to keep the EU funds, but you don’t want our values.”

https://www.ft.com/content/425fc8de-2a99-11e7-9ec8-168383da43b7

Maybe he should stop the funds and get out of EU to see what happens. Hypocrite piece of shit.
 

Cabaratier

Neo Member
They are traditional right just like Polish PIS

No they are not.

but European left has a habit of calling everyone who doesn't share their ideas "fascist"

No they call fascists fascists.

It worked till Internet destroyed left leaning tv stations monopoly on information.

You mean the rise of alt-right propaganda outlets? From the article:

"In January 2017, Arktos’s team and Spencer officially cemented their partnership when they teamed up to create AltRight.com, a “one-stop shop” for the emerging movement. Even Washington-based Breitbart is now rumored to be opening a Hungarian office in the near future, after acquiring the domain name Breitbart.hu. From their vantage, the possibilities of cross-border exchange look promising. In flocking to Budapest, these nationalist internationals are creating a sanctuary from which to broadcast anti-globalism across the globe."

Generally best way to distinguish traditional right and alt-right in Europe is what they think about EU - alt-right wants to see it destroyed, right wants to see it reformed with influence of EU commission greatly reduced.

Yes, Orban and Kaczyński want to defang the Commission and their nasty habit of making European countries obey the law.
 
Imagine how racist you have to be if the mere fact someone who looks exactly like you but is just from a different country sets you off. And then imagine how they feel about brown people.

I feel like "Whites" banding together to be racist against everyone else but not each other is more of a new world thing (and a recent one at that), whereas the old world is filled to the brim with things like the Japanese turning up their nose at Koreans, Europeans hating Europeans who live twelve inches to their left ("The wogs begin at Calais"), ethnic cleansing where the soldiers need to check with the locals as to who they're supposed to be killing because they can't tell themselves, etc.
 

Condom

Member
Guys please don't ask for reduction of funds or kicking them out, it's 'unfair' to ask them to not to spit on the EU's values

Legit don't complain about Europe's left because if they were in charge Hungary would not be a member anymore or already sanctioned.
 

Nabbis

Member
Guys please don't ask for reduction of funds or kicking them out, it's 'unfair' to ask them to not to spit on the EU's values

EU should probably stick to it's values in the first place for there to be any credibility in those arguments. Greece is still fucked and swepped under the rug in case anyone forgot.

Not that i agree with Hungary and this tribalistic crap going on but a large loosely unified political entity is not something that is known for actually following it's "ideals" if it even has them.
 

Condom

Member
EU should probably stick to it's values in the first place for there to be any credibility in those arguments. Greece is still fucked and swepped under the rug in case anyone forgot.

Not that i agree with Hungary and this tribalistic crap going on but a large loosely unified political entity is not something that is known for actually following it's "ideals" if it even has them.

I have definitely not forgotten how the hope of volunteers and activists at Syriza got crushed by the EU but that's a battle between the liberals and the leftist factions and north and south.
Hungary however can't even agree to stuff the others think is basic.

Horseshoe effect in the former communist bloc countries. Not surprised.

EDIT: I want to excuse myself for my language, edited the response.

What you see in former communist countries is that because of the fall of socialism (and USSR oppression probably has to do with it too in the smaller states), nationalism and racism began to rise. USSR ideology was anti-racist not pro. Right now the political reality is that some are very homogeneous and closed off societies. To a point where some central/EE/balkan parties that are within the European left/Greens (EP group) have been known to vote rightwing on social issues.
So it's not the horseshoe theory in effect, a theory that has been debunked IMO.
 

Miles X

Member
What's a 'true refugee'?! Surely what triggers these people is unskilled workers coming over and 'stealing jobs'. Well what if that's a bunch of unskilled Brits or Germans or something .. they're still okay?

There are legit complaints to be had with the free movement within the EU but these guys seem like idiots.
 

Dehnus

Member
And people say the EU didn't expand too quickly

This has nothing to do with the expansion, and more to do with people catering to fears. LIke even in this topic there is framing and projection going on by some rightwinger that wants to blame others for the actions of his political peers. (Michaelius).

For instance much of Durgin's shit is based on being a homophobic arsehole. Riding that wave for money, and knowing people will give him that as they fear gay people. The whole "Every nation it's own culture and it's own ethnicity" is nothing short of racism and homophobic propaganda. As he doesn't want a place for gay people, even though he'll claim it so, he'll blame all the bad things happening at the "Gay Agenda!" as were it some kind of evil organization out to destroy white men. It also is racist as he just wants to get rid of non white people. Even non White Russians. For instance Russians from Siberia look more Asian than white, so who do you think he'll be after next?

People like that are just doing ANYTHING to get money and power. So I'd say let them go to Hungary, kick Hungary out of the EU, and revoke their nationalities. Make it into this "paradise" for those Swedish Alt Righters, Norwegian NAZIs, Dutch Fascists, Italian Mussolini Munchers, and so forth. Allow those that wish to get out, to find refuge. And otherwise they can have their "Conservative, Conformist state!" of only those around them that look like them (Basically nothing spells luvin' like marrying your cusin'). See how long it takes before they get into a civil war as the "Big ears" and the "Little ears" will claim superiority over each other.

Big eared people can't be trusted after all ;).
 

oti

Banned
I got a good chuckle out of other Europeans being refugees to a place like Hungary.

I've read about Germans who moved to Hungary because "Germany wasn't German enough anymore" and other highlights such as "we feel like the Government is after us true Germans" and so on.
 

Jasup

Member
Maybe we should kick Hungary out of the EU.

There might be a tiny little problem with that. The EU is at its core a union of the willing. Meaning it's designed for countries who want to participate in the common system and are willing to give up certain aspects of legislation from national level to international legislative processes. And that is also the major flaw of the system - you join and leave by your own accord and by joining you (supposedly) sign up to everything the EU stands for, there really is no mechanism to kick someone out.
 

Famassu

Member
So what makes Orban ''alt-right'' anyway? Both Orban and his party are not new when it comes to Hungarian politics. Isn't it more like traditional right?
Alt-right is just a rebranding of nazism, for wider, less baggaged appeal. If you go to people all "have you heard of this wonderful thing called nazism, wanna join?", a lot of people are less inclined to agree & join your cause. But market yourself as "alt-right" who publicly distance themselves from nazis while while really holding very much the same ideals, and surprisingly many closet/diet racists have no problem giving them their support. It tries (& too often succeeds) to give out the appearance of "we are just critical/concerned about current immigrant policies" but beneath there's very nazi-like racism & bigotry where everyone else are inferior and everyone else is the problem & cause of all the bad things except the alt-righters themselves or the actual sources of problems (like rightwing policies that crap on these same people grabbing onto alt-right politics).
 
We shall let in true refugees: Germans, Dutch, French, and Italians, terrified politicians and journalists who here in Hungary want to find the Europe they have lost in their homelands

I'll pass on moving to a piss poor country like Hungary in which the people are dumb enough to vote the far right into power.

thanks anyway,

Germany

I've read about Germans who moved to Hungary because "Germany wasn't German enough anymore" and other highlights such as "we feel like the Government is after us true Germans" and so on.

I'm afraid even we have dumb fucks that think that way. As far as I can tell they are a very small number at least.
 
What's a 'true refugee'?! Surely what triggers these people is unskilled workers coming over and 'stealing jobs'. Well what if that's a bunch of unskilled Brits or Germans or something .. they're still okay?

There are legit complaints to be had with the free movement within the EU but these guys seem like idiots.

I think its mainly the ones in pension or on welfare that go to hungary. The average salary is like 600 euros there (in budapest if you're lucky to have a job)
 
A lot of trump can be laid at the door of Hungary

http://hungarianfreepress.com/2017/...mpaign-and-the-russian-secret-service-part-2/

We have learned that the London based joint company, set up by Finkelstein and Habony at the start of the Trump campaign (Danube Business Consulting Ltd) played an important role in the transfer of the hacked documents to Assange and Wikileaks. We suggest that apart from Finkelstein, his American consulting partner in Hungary, George E. Birnbaum, and Finkelstein’s Hungarian affiliate, Árpád Habony, Tamás Lánczi, the CEO of Danube Business Consulting should all be questioned under oath. The financial records of the company should be scrutinized, with the assistance of the Scotland Yard. But the net should involve all the players we have named in our first installment.

http://hungarianfreepress.com/2017/03/24/sebastian-gorka-orbans-man-in-the-trump-white-house/
 
My great-grandparents and grandfather came to the US from Hungary and Hungary over here working overtime to make sure we don't visit.
 
The Hungarian people I've met don't believe in that shit, guess that's why they left the country for good for other EU member states, they feel their country is going in an awful direction they don't want to be part of I guess. That's the beauty of free movement, you can get a job in any member state you want if your country is shit
 
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