„This year, the reigning »Young Democrats« (YD) called for a commemorative celebration. It was to be a march from a scene of heavy fighting in ’56 to end at the square before parliament. Significantly, that locale happens to be the venue of a massacre whose perpetrators remain unpunished. At least four hundred thousand gathered and filled not only the square but also the avenues leading to it. At the same time, the »opposition«, convened by the descendant of the Stalin era’s and the post ‘56 Kádár restoration’s bosses, held their own conclaves elsewhere. (...)
A reason for calling out the masses had to do with the need to show »Brussels« that a claim of Leftist Eurocracy is wrong. The claim meant is that the YDs have lost their support. Indeed, Hungary is bombarded with the allegation that it is a right-wing dictatorship and that, consequently, even small stand-by credits to her must be withheld. The intent is to extort and to nudge the voters to dismiss the YDs in exchange for praise and money. Earlier this year, to prove their legitimacy, the YDs have already asked for a march to reaffirm the election’s results. Hundreds of thousands followed that call. A recent survey confirms a majority-based legitimacy. 36% sympathize with the YD. The Left achieves 12%. As an indication of political analphabetism and reacting to provocative scolding from abroad, the genuinely »wrong right« scored 11%.
The reader might have concluded that the ritualized condemnation of Hungary is politically motivated bad-mouthing. The inference should not be that this is the unique problem of a country that is easily ignored. The case presented here is not an isolated one but a typical sample from a thick file. A number of countries, many public persons, and numerous parties, are regularly subjected to public flagellation. More often than not, the reason for denunciation resorts to trumped up charges. These are raised because those censured strive for goals that contradict the accuser’s ideology. The strategy is that, when arguments are lacking, then facts may be invented to make us forget what we perceive and to believe what we are told instead.”
