From Panayote Dimitras for Greek Helsinki Monitor in Athens
On 11 September 2018, “the EU cried a collective “Enough!” but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán just kept piling on” wrote the online Politico.
“Facing a cascade of criticism in the European Parliament — including from leaders of his own political family — over the alleged erosion of democratic norms and values in Hungary, Orbán responded on with a fiery speech, in which he accused his detractors of hypocrisy and insisted that Budapest would not be brought to heel by Brussels.
Speaking to a Parliament plenary in Strasbourg in a debate on a resolution to initiate a process that could lead to political sanctions against Hungary — so-called Article 7 proceedings like the one Poland is facing over judicial changes that Brussels says violate the rule of law — Orbán showed no contrition and no willingness to back down.”
The few MEP voices in his support included notably UKIP’s Nigel Farage and also Greek nazi Golden Dawn MEP Lampros Fountoulis.
Three days after his intervention, Viktor Orbán wrote to the Greek nazi MEP to express “gratitude for your support” and “wish you … much success in your highly responsible duties.” Anecdotally, Orbán wrote a wrong date for the debate (12 instead of 11 September) but Golden Dawn published the letter on 8 October 2018, from where it is reprinted here.
Is calling nazis “responsible” and expressing “gratitude” for their support compatible with the supposed democratic principles of the European People’s Party?
Is it not time for Europe’s Christian Democrats to expel this fellow-traveller of the extreme right including nazis?
