Government bans conference of US based far-right organization
October 2nd, 2014A centrist blog finds it controversial that the US and American intellectuals like to accuse the Hungarian government of curbing democracy, but at the same time do not mind if a racist organization holds a conference in a Washington government building.
On Monday, Minister of Interior Sándor Pintér banned the conference of the US based white nationalist National Policy Institute scheduled in Budapest after PM Orbán’s statement that his government will use all legal means at its disposal to prevent the conference taking place, on the grounds that they propagate racist views at odds with the Hungarian Constitution. Minister Pintér said that he would ban members of the organization and their guest speakers from entering Hungary.
The US likes to accuse the Hungarian government of violating basic liberal standards, but at the same time it does nothing to prevent extreme racist groups from spreading their ideas, Mandiner comments. The centrist blog contends that the US and American left-wing intellectuals use double standards against Hungary. While the Hungarian government banned the conference of the racist National Policy Institute, the same organization in 2013 could hold its annual conference in a Washington governmental building. Mandiner wonders what reaction the Hungarian government could expect if it rented out a government building in Budapest to the extremist organization.
Tags: far-right, free speech, Orbán, racism