no MMA!

The other day, I received a letter in my inbox, attempting to set me straight. He also sent along for my edification the letter that Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi penned to Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Member States of the European Union.

I’m sure I’m not alone. The Fidesz government of Hungary is on a flat-out PR blitz, trying desperately to gain sympathy as international opinion solidifies against them. Because all of these communications repeat more or less the same talking points and are blanketing inboxes, editorial pages and diplomatic meetings across Europe and North America, I’ll respond to the Fidesz public relations offensive here by explaining what their government’s laws actually say. Fidesz officials are hiding behind Hungarian, which is a small and difficult (yet beautiful) language, so that outsiders are at a disadvantage in responding to their assertions of “fact.”

Unfortunately for them, however, I’ve lived in Hungary for years, worked in the Hungarian court system, studied Hungarian law for decades and can find my way around Hungarian legalese. That is why they take me seriously enough to attack. Since I started writing about Hungary, I have received mountains of hate mail, been ambushed by non-academic criticism in academic settings and gotten death threats to the point where I need security on my trips back to Budapest. But I’m not taking it personally. I just happen to stand in the way of what Fidesz wants. They are ruthless and relentless – but not stupid.

The New York Times (opinion pages)

A report by the United Nations Human Rights Council slammed Hungary on Wednesday for its recent incorporation into the Basic Law (the constitution) of an amendment that authorises the use of national and municipal legislation to outlaw sleeping in public spaces.
“Through this amendment the Hungarian Parliament institutionalises the criminalisation of homelessness and enshrines discrimination against and stigmatisation of homeless persons in the constitution,” UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Magdalena Sepúlveda said in her third rebuttal in just over a year of Hungary’s stance on homelessness.
The “rushed amendment process… left no time for public consultation”, Sepúlveda said, calling for the government to retract the amendment and act in line with prior rulings of the Constitutional Court on the issue and with its international obligations.
The amendment, which entitles authorities to ban the “occupation of designated public areas for living purposes”, was one of a raft of changes to the constitution enacted last month to bypass contrary rulings by the Constitutional Court on provisions put forward by the government.

BudapestTimes

AFP – A new arts and cultural “incubator” in Budapest has proved a hit with alternative creative companies and a response to Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ultra-conservative culture policies.

Since the Juranyi Community House opened late last year, the number of companies and groups renting workshop space there has risen to over 50.

Theatre companies, dance groups, animation workshops, artist studios and graphic designers have all gravitated to the Juranyi, a former school building rented from the municipality.

“It’s a great opportunity for independent companies and people to rent a common space to work,” the composer Tibor Szemzo told AFP.

France24