Government launches new anti-Soros campaign
wikimedia commons Niccolò Caranti
Government-controlled Hungarian public television has started broadcasting ads in a propaganda campaign preceding the latest “national consultation” recently announced by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán regarding the alleged “Soros Plan” to forcibly resettle migrants in Europe.
Public television channel Duna TV started broadcasting the TV spot on Tuesday evening, which can be seen here. Bence Tuzson, the minister of state for government communication, explained last week that the TV campaign will start “some time in October” and will precede the announced national consultation which the government deems necessary to make certain states withdraw their plans to force other states to accept a “mixed population.”
The Hungarian government is waging a fight against what it describes repeatedly as the “Soros Plan,” by which the Hungarian-born investor and philanthropist George Soros - according to the TV ads - allegedly aims to bring one million migrants to Europe annually.
Goran Buldioski, director of the Soros-founded and sponsored Open Society Initiative for Europe, based in Budapest, earlier reacted in a statement released on September 14 by rejecting the Hungarian governmentʼs position.
“The challenges on migration faced at the moment have nothing to do with George Soros and the Open Society Foundations,” said Buldioski in the statement sent to the Budapest Business Journal. “Those are issues that international organizations and supranational entities, like the United Nations and the European Union, are dealing with. Hungary is part of these institutions. There is no such thing as a global conspiracy against Hungary. The campaign against George Soros and the Open Society Foundations is an attempt to distract from pressing domestic challenges like failed delivery of basic healthcare services, difficulties in education, and underdevelopment in rural areas.”
Buldioski said his organization remains committed to continuing its work in Hungary and supporting partners working on issues that include promoting independent journalism, fighting corruption, supporting civic participation, and combating discrimination.
“The truth is that Mr. Soros and the Open Society Foundations have long advocated for more coherent and humane policies for helping to resettle migrants fleeing oppression and violence in their homelands. We will continue to do so, as the migration crisis escalates and demands urgent attention in Hungary and across Europe,” concluded Buldioski.
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