How the international and local press covers the attacks on civil society in the country
The severe attack towards the Civil Society organizations that takes place in Hungary aiming at undermining their credibility, and the parallel effort to limit the operational independence of the educational system, is extensively covered through the mass media in Europe and Greece. In the article published on the news site, www.politico.eu, entitled “Hungary threatens Soros-financed university”, the President of the University, Canada former politician, scholar and author, Michael Ignatieff, featuring this issue “as a matter of international interest”.
The Hungarian Parliament has passed a law that, if implemented, will lead to the closure of Central European University (CEU), based in Budapest, while the same law refers to the “transparency of organisations receiving foreign funds”; according to the Hungarian government, NGOs and the University – founded in 1991 by George Soros – are “foreign” organisations. Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, is attacking the founder of the University and supporter of some of the organizations, while the government claims that there is no question of personal confrontation, since everything is part of the plan to reform the country’s education system.
On the other hand, thousands of Hungarians protested at the beginning of April in Budapest, defending the University’s operation, with the slogan “we will not remain silent“; the protesters consider this law as an “attack on freedom in education” and have called on Hungarian President János Áder, to apply his right to exercise VETO and not to vote.
An extensive article in the British newspaper The Guardian entitled “Thousands protest in Hungary over threat to Soros university“, supporters say for the decisions of the Hungarian government: “They want to completely undermine and eliminate what is left of the Civil Society. The method, the lack of dialogue, the efforts over many years for the abolition of all democratic institutions – this cannot be our future or the future of our children“.
The New York Times describe the effort to close the University as “political vandalism” in Palko Karasz’s article “Hungary Plan that could shutter Soros’s University is called ‘political vandalism’“. Frans Timmermans, First European Commission Vice-President, states to the New York Times that “the University of Budapest should be able to work undisturbed“, whereas on April 28th, representatives of the Civil Society Europe will have a meeting with him trying to find a solution.
The Civil Society Europe takes the initiative and invites the NGOs in Europe to vote against the targeting of Hungarian organizations.
Furthermore, international bodies such as the European Humanist Federation (Fédération Humaniste Européenne), The Conference of INGOs (International Non-governmental organisation) and IFEX (International Freedom of Expression) support the Civil Society Europe initiative.
– The EHF joins European Civil Society in expressing solidarity to Hungarian NGOs
– The Conference of INGOs calls on Hungary not to adopt draft Act (Bill T/14967) undermining freedom of association https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168070bfbb / Opinion prepared by the Expert Council at the request of the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe, April 2017
– Hungary’s foreign funding bill a transparent attack on civil society
**Civil Society Europe (CSE) brings together 28 European networks of civil society organisations (CSO) working towards regenerating the European project around the shared values of Equality, Solidarity, Inclusiveness, and Democracy.