PM Orbán’s ideologist: Harvard, Yale should not come to Hungary due to their “ideology” 

The Hungarian government’s ideologist expressed her views on political correctness, the Fudan University, the European Union and the controversial reaction of Hungarian football players. 

One of the most controversial talking topics of the past months has definitely been the foundation of the Chinese state-owned Fudan University in Budapest. Opposition politicians, activists, civilians, and even the international press all expressed their concerns regarding the issue.

Massive demonstration against Fudan University in Budapest

Mária Schmidt, director of the House of Terror Museum and ideologist of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán gave an interview to political news magazine 168 óra. 

In the interview, she talks about all those people who are concerned with the influence of China over Hungary once the university is built. She says that

there is no need to worry since China has decided to suspend their ideological offensive,

so the building of the second biggest campus of Fudan University outside of China will pose no such risk on Hungarian citizens. 

To avoid concentrating solely on this university, she says that in case Yale or Harvard would want to come to Hungary to establish a campus, negotiations would absolutely be possible. However, she would not bring a Western university into the country right now because of ideological differences.

The woke movement, which is the most important ideology right now at these universities, is simply strange for Hungary and there is no need for it to spread in the country. 

She mentions the now-famous football match between Hungary and Ireland played in Hungary. The home supporters whistled and booed at Irish football players who took the knee before their game to support racism and discrimination. According to Schmidt,

pushing the issue of racism is simply an “import stuff” from the United States.

It was nothing more than simple provocation, for which Hungarian fans answered. She also considers the Irish coach’s reaction as an attack towards Hungary and expresses her concerns about how football fans from Ireland, Great Britain or even the Netherlands, the so-called “advanced Westerners”, behave before their games, completely smashing cities on certain occasions (referring to how the supporters of two English teams behaved on the eve of the Champions League final). 

“I am freaking sick of this attitude, that someone thinks that he can comment on something just because he comes from the West.

He should not comment on it! When they smashed Porto, did we say anything? I do not remember anyone from Hungary going there who left nasty comments. Let this be enough, that they are constantly criticizing us. We are not interested.”

Staying with the issue of ideology, Schmidt also

criticizes the European Union for looking at itself as an ideological power.

She says that the Union should not deal with the dispute between China and Hong Kong but should concentrate instead on Ukraine and the Balkans.  

Schmidt also thinks that

political correctness and its usage have destroyed the freedom of the press in the West.

On the contrary, in Hungary, open debates are still an option. As telex.hu quotes her views, offending someone is part of this, as public and political life is not a “psychotherapy group”. 

“Is not living together about offending each other, apologizing, having a dispute, and then making up? We are humans, we have emotions, we have bad days and good days. Why would the state, the power, the tech companies have a say in it?” 

Source: telex.hu, 168.hu