Orban was accused of anti-Semitism due to attacks on Soros and von der Leyen

The Hungarian government’s propaganda campaign has renewed concerns about anti-Semitism. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been accused of appearing to be returning to a strategy of claiming that shadowy global forces are trying to interfere in the country’s politics.

A recently announced advertising campaign in Hungary is raising concerns that Prime Minister Viktor Orban is once again using anti-Semitic slogans to further his political goals at home.

As The Guardian notes, for years the Hungarian leader has promoted the idea that dark global forces were conspiring to interfere in Hungarian politics – drawing criticism that Orbán was using anti-Semitic narratives to distract attention from the country’s problems.

In 2019, a controversial campaign funded by the Hungarian government targeted Hungarian-American businessman George Soros and then-European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, prompting the commission to accuse Budapest of promoting a conspiracy theory.

Now Orban seems to be returning to this topic, writes The Guardian.

The Hungarian government on Friday unveiled a billboard featuring Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, and Alex Soros, the son of billionaire George Soros and the current chairman of the Open Society Foundations (designated an undesirable organization in Russia), with the slogan: “Let’s not dance to their tune.”

The billboards are part of a so-called national consultation “on defending our sovereignty,” which includes a questionnaire that the Hungarian government will mail to every citizen on issues such as EU support for Ukraine.

The new campaign has renewed concerns that the Hungarian government is promoting anti-Semitic messages.

“Orban tried to undermine Juncker by linking him with Soros, now he is trying to do it with the son of Soros and von der Leyen,” says Attila Ara-Kovacs, a member of the European Parliament from the opposition Democratic Coalition party of Hungary.

“The European Commission led by von der Leyen is too soft” towards Orban, the parliamentarian said, adding that the Hungarian government’s behavior was “anti-Semitic and anti-EU”.

The campaign could mark a turning point in the Hungarian government’s relationship with Brussels.

For months, Orban’s government has been negotiating with the European Commission to unfreeze billions of euros allocated to Hungary that the EU had suspended due to legal problems.

A senior Hungarian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said Saturday that the new campaign is a sign that the government has given up trying to access the funds.

The controversial poster campaign comes at a time when there are also concerns about the Hungarian government’s plans for a new “sovereignty” bill that could increase pressure on independent voices at home, The Guardian writes.

“To the extent that this bill may be aimed at criminalizing and/or intimidating independent civil society organizations and the media, this is very dangerous, and I hope that this is not the path Hungary chooses,” the US ambassador to Budapest David Pressman.

The Hungarian government, which has in the past insisted it opposes all forms of anti-Semitism, did not respond to The Guardian’s request for comment.

But at a time when Jewish communities across Europe are increasingly concerned about anti-Semitism, the new billboard has not gone unnoticed.

“Soros has long been a lightning rod for anti-Semitic conspiracies,” Ali Brickman, director of EU relations at B’nai B’rith International, said in a social media post. “Jewish control, secret agendas – the same narratives are increasingly being spread from October 7 on the other side of the political spectrum,” she said. “We have to announce it every time,” she added.