Jobbik to demonstrate against campaign finance fine

As the Jobbik party announces a demonstration ‘in defence of democracy’, a left-wing blogger wonders whether liberals and left-wingers should join the demonstration of the radical party.

The Jobbik has called a demonstration for Friday against a fine imposed by the State Audit Office (see BudaPost December 11). In an open letter to the Prime Minister, Jobbik leader Gábor Vona accused him of “building a dark dictatorship” and “ending democracy”. LMP, Momentum and Együtt have already announced that they will join the Jobbik demonstration.

Kettős Mérce’s András Jámbor wonders if one should join the protest of ‘fascist and corrupt’ Jobbik in order to defend democracy. The alt-left blogger agrees that the fine levied on Jobbik by the State Audit Office is politically motivated and unfair – Jámbor goes so far as to suggest that the governing Fidesz wants to shut down its strongest competitor half a year ahead of the election. On the other hand, Jobbik is still an anti-Semitic ‘fascist’ party, Jámbor goes on. He finds it ‘somewhat bizarre’ for Jobbik, a party financed by Lajos Simicska, ‘a corrupt oligarch created by Fidesz’ to claim that it wants to defend democracy. If leftists and liberals join Jobbik’s protest, they may legitimize Jobbik, Jámbor argues. But if they do not, they make it easier for Fidesz to further weaken democratic norms, he contends. Jámbor concludes the article without taking sides, and calls on his readers to join the debate and argue whether the Left and the liberals should protest alongside Jobbik.

Tags: corruption, democracy, Jobbik