Everything to know about the newest government campaign with Soros and Juncker

Fidesz recently launched its newest poster campaign targeting once again the Hungarian-American philanthropist György Soros, and this time, also the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.

The whole world knows the Hungarian government’s infamous Soros campaign, which targeted the Hungarian-born American businessman, György Soros.

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If you left your house in the last couple of days, you probably noticed that posters of the newest government campaign were spread all over the country. You can literally bump into one on every corner, at the bus stop, next to the road, in the newspaper, etc. It is impossible to avoid them, so let’s talk about why they appeared and what they are trying to say.

The New York Times writes that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán “has added to long-running tensions between Budapest and Brussels” with his newest campaign targeting Soros and Juncker.

Photo: Alpár Kató – Daily News Hungary

On the posters, Soros and Juncker’s faces appear next to each other, and the original Hungarian text says: “Önnek is joga van tudni, mire készül Brüsszel” which means “You have the right to know what Brussels is planning to do”.

If you did not know who Jean-Claude Juncker was, his name might ring a bell from the time he greeted Orbán with the jokey “hello, dictator” while also playfully tapping his face.

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The Hungarian government claims that the posters are part of an information campaign to tell the public about Brussels’ migration plans. According to the Hungarian government, this so-called plan “fundamentally endangered Hungary’s safety”.

The Guardian writes that “the decision to use an image of Junker is an escalation in the Orbán government’s public relations war with the EU’s most senior leaders.”

As a response, Jean-Claude Juncker’s chief spokesman, Margaritis Schinas, said that

“the Europen Commission had made a commitment to fight disinformation and fake news.”

Schinas also said that

the Hungarian government campaign “beggars belief,” and “it is shocking that such a ludicrous conspiracy theory has reached the mainstream to the extent it has. There is no conspiracy. Hungarians deserve facts, not fiction.”

Even though leaders of the EU have continuously emphasised their desire to strengthen Europe’s borders, the Hungarian government campaign accuses Juncker (and Soros) of wanting “to weaken member states’ rights to protect their own borders.”

The New York Times reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her full support for Juncker and the European Commission:

“Jean-Claude Juncker has my full solidarity, and we will also make that clear in our discussions with Hungary,” Merkel told reporters in Berlin.

According to Orbán, EU leaders are carrying out instructions from Soros, and “are launching experimental immigration projects with African countries; want to introduce mandatory settlement quotas; want to reduce financial assistance for countries opposed to migration.”

EU leaders have rejected the claims. They argue that the European Union and Juncker are in fact reinforcing the bloc’s external borders instead of weakening them.

Featured image: Alpár Kató / Daily News Hungary

Source: www.theguardian.com; www.nytimes.com