Anti Semitism in Hungary
William Galston - the centrist commentator on the WSJ - had this op-ed yesterday
The Growing Threat of ‘Illiberal Democracy
And he wrote, in part this:
The revolt against liberalism, then, rests on these three complaints: Liberal institutions undermine effective governance, while liberal principles weaken national sovereignty and force citizens to give equal status to people who are unlike them.
The demand for decisive action typically generates impatience with formalities. In a 2014 speech endorsing illiberal democracy, Hungary’s longtime Prime Minister Viktor Orban mocked Hungary’s previous liberal democratic government for its inability to promote the national interest, citing countries such as Russia, Turkey and Singapore as examples of effective governance. This, he said, is why his government was abandoning “Western European dogmas” in favor of a new form of political organization that is capable of “making us competitive in this great world-race.”
(snip)
Hungary’s Order of Merit, its second highest state honor, recognizes individuals who have demonstrated excellence in service to Hungary and the promotion of “universal human values.” Last August, Mr. Orban’s government gave this award to journalist Zsolt Bayer.
Here is how Mr. Bayer has promoted these values:
Writing in 2008 about the “Jewish journalists of Budapest,” he said that “their very existence justifies anti-Semitism.” In February and March of 2016, he published an 18-part op-ed series on the origins of anti-Semitism in Hungary, asserting that it was a natural reaction to actions by Jews against non-Jews.
Also against Roma.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-growing-threat-of-illiberal-democracy-1483488245
(I may post more on the Editorial forum)