Gyalázatosan tálalt interjú Mr. Orbánnal május 13.-án Mr. Gerard Lévy tollából az Altlantic magazinban, és az én válaszom

Bernard-Henry Lévi

"How an Anti-totalitarian Militant Discovered Ultranationalism"

Interview with Victor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary

The Atlantic, 2019. May 15

Reading of this report it becomes obvious that the writer has written a novel.  When he quotes not a single reply by Mr. Orbán verbatim, but rather his own malcontent, hostile, twisted, modified answers, that is not a report!  It is fiction!  This article is full of distortion, bad intention, naiveté, which comes from the facts that the author acquires his knowledge from hearsay, the lies and fake news of the opposition magazines or from his own fantasy.  Indeed, all his questions are the ones, what the negligent number of opposition could put together.

Mr. Lévy is a very ignorant, uneducated in European history. How can a newspaper print his fantasy as an interview? He should stay writing books, leave the facts for journalists!  Mr. Lévy, you claim to be a philosopher

"Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses!"

Mr. Lévy's close friendship with Mr. Soros and the timing of his article makes his intention very questionable.

1. If the author did go to University, he would know, that a scholarship is not given by individuals, like Uncle Soros, who noticed this young man at the CEU and liking him, he gave him pocket money (i.e. scholarship) for Oxford. It is important to know, that CEU is a private University in Budapest established and sponsored by Mr. Soros.  Mr. Orbán had received a scholarship from the CEU, a Soros University, but not a scholarship from Mr. Soros!  Normally the scholarships are decided by the University board and given to worthy students from the pool of money, called scholarship found, which are collected by donations by companies, individuals, also like Soros. Even the most hostile press did not accuse Orbán, to personally know Soros at that time.

2. According to the Hungarian Law, legislative power (parliament) cannot be in the same building as the executive power (ministry). A new Government building had already been started to be built by a previous prime minister, Gyurcsàny. However, as it was usual with him, the money has disappeared and the project was abandoned. In the meantime he, and a lot of his friends got rich. The Carmelite Monastery was a heap of rubble since the war and an eyesore for the tourist visiting the Royal Castle. So when it was rebuilt and stood empty, it was an excellent idea to move the Ministry here. It is not a Palace of Orbán, but the Palace of the current Prime Minister! Just as the White House or Number 10 in London.

What a vile and disgusting invention, indeed a fantasy Mr. Lévy gives into the mouth of Orbán: "because I wanted to dominate this town, which is the only part of the country that is still resisting me".   It was never uttered by Mr. Orbán!  This is not reporting, this is slandering!

3. Mr. Lévy makes totally false statements regarding the state of CEU. The CEU has been issuing for many years USA degrees from Budapest, without having a mother University in the USA. Their New-York address was the address of one of Mr. Soros' NGO!  This was discovered by the American-Hungarian Federation in New-York. This practice is against the Educational Law of Hungary, and the Government cannot make exception here. Nobody is chasing away the CEU from Budapest, they themselves want to move a faculty of the University, which is not willing to conform to the Hungarian Educational Law, to Vienna. Currently there is not a single University in the World, which issues a degree of another country, unless they are a campus of a head University in that country. If the CEU can do it in Vienna, it will be the first! It must be mentioned here, that there are dozens of foreign Universities operating very successfully in Budapest, within the law. The other faculties of the CEU remain in Budapest, because they train the agents for Soros' NGOs and they have to speak Hungarian.

4. Let me be clear!  Mr. Orbán was elected the third time with 2/3rd majority of the voters (that is 10 years so far!), unheard majority in Europe!  That is what democracy is, only a confused reporter can call that dictatorship!  If it is, why was Mr. Orbán re-elected 3 times, despite of the UN observers having been present?

5. What journalist standard your newspaper represents, when Mr. Lévy describes Mr. Orbán as:” a pudgy satrap with the physique of a retired wrestler, Vladimir Putin without the muscles, with something sad and somber in his look – all accompanied by an odd reserve”.  A decent and reputable news medium does not use this style…a cheap bulvar does!

6. “ The inventor of illiberalism, the man who uses democracy to torpedo democracy…”.  “democratic dictatorship”.  What an idiotic statement.  Mr. Lévy is playing with expressions he has no understanding!  It is a contradiction itself, what Mr. Lévy cannot explain, for it is impossible!

7. “the autocrat constantly engaged in gagging the Parliament…”  how is Mr. Orbán  doing that?  The opposition can shout, whistle, quarrel, fight, blow horns, place placards, organize demonstrations, they have their own TV, newspapers, blogs,…is it gagging?  True, they represent such a tiny minority, it does not matter what they do, but they disrupt the working of the Parliament.

7. “Infringements of the spirit of democracy”.. “shuttered newspapers”, like Népszabadság, a privately owned opposition newspaper, which was the main medium of the communist party for decades.  Due to the false news and lies, subscribers dropped it and it was folded. It was not a feasible business anymore!  Orbán had nothing to do with it! Népszava, which is the current media of the opposition is also a private newspaper.  As long as the subscribers maintain it, it will publish and will be a good source of false or untrue information for “reporters” like Mr. Lévy!

8. “homeless people arrested”…not until they become an eyesore for the public.  There are not many of that kind, drug users, drunkard, urinating and defecating on the street or park.  Yes, there are, sure, but not as many as in Boston or New-York!

9. “judges operating under orders”.  Who’s orders? Judges in the majority were appointed by the former communist/socialist government.  They will bring outrageous judgement to protect their former bosses.  Gyurcsány stole all the money from the euro returns, from every projects he has started for the government, laundering money for 15 years, has 24 international companies and he is “innocent”.  Bajnai Gordon committed all kinds of illegalities, when he owned a chickenfarm, several people died, he is innocent and organizing the opposition.  When Orbán wanted to retire one of the judges, who was well over 70, the EU prevented him to do so.   So who is ordering the judges?

10. “and so on” typical response, when a liberal/communist runs out of the fake news!

11. “The European People’s Party recently suspended the membership of Orbán’s party, FIDESZ”.   Blatant lie!  Orbán suspended their membership in the Party, until the European election, and has threatened quitting the Party all together.  Since FIDESZ is the largest within the party, they have retreated with the threat.  Please, do not spread FAKE news!

12. The “Grand alliance between Magyar and Jews, which together make up a little more the 50% of the population” is totally Mr. Lévy’ s fantasy and fabrications.

13. About Miklós Horthy…”Isn’t he also the one who, in 1944, when the Nazis were invading Hungary, LET THEM IN and allowed them to begin deporting Jews? ”.   The Nazis had invaded Hungary in a few days, and deposed Governor Horthy, arresting him, and replacing him with a Nazi government (Szálasi).  They started to deport the Jews.  By the way, it were the Romanians, who started deporting Jews from Romania much earlier, than in Hungary under Antonescu (European History!).  Under Horthy, not a single Jew was deported!!!!  Mr. Lévy, study a bit of European history, you have huge information gaps in your knowledge.  When Mr. Horthy was exiled into Estoril (in Portugal, just in case, you need it), and since all his possessions were confiscated, he lived on JEWISH donations, as thanks to him from the saved Jews!

As for letting the Nazis into Hungary, I ask you why Poland, Scandinavia, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Austria LET THEM IN?  Or it is a special sin of Hungarians?

14. “and made his old friend Lőrinc Mészáros the “richest man” in the WORLD".  Caligula and his horse is a very bad example here!  Could not Mr. Lévy come up with a better match in the Roman history?  Why a Hungarian cannot be rich, like many in all around the world, especially in Mr. Lévy’s adopted USA. ?  There are many times richer millioners in Hungary than Mészáros, just to mention two, Gyurcsány and Bajnai.  Mr Bajnai has a joint venture with Mrs Clinton.  Not worth to mention?  Another thing, no matter how hard I try, I cannot find Mr. Mészáros on the World 100 richest men’s list.  Perhaps, Mr. Lévy would point that out, or apologize for spreading fake news!

15. “Horthy, whom he admires, was an admiral in a country without an outlet to the sea and regent of a nation without of a king". Another fake news by Mr. Lévy.  He really should study European history, before making a fool of himself, especially that he was born in France. His absolute lack of knowledge is astonishing!  Hungary was three times of the size of the today, and included Croatia in a personal union (Croatia had the same king as Hungary) for 800 years until 1920.  So Fiume (now Rijeka) was built to the largest sea port in the Adriatic sea, where the Austro-Hungarian navel force stationed, which during the 1st War many times broke the blockade of the Allied forces.  The admiral of that force was Miklós Horthy!   Another outlet to the Adriatic sea was Pola (now Pula), where Hungary had a Naval Academy, since they did not need sailors, Mr. Lévy?

"...regent of a nation without of a king"  Since the King has abdicated, after a few years of turmoil and fighting with the communists, the Hungarians have elected Admiral Horthy, as Governor (and NOT as a regent, Hungarians never used this title).  Mr. Lévy, it is elementary, that if there were a king, there would not have been a need for a regent! 

It is a shame, your paper allowed this article to be published, which was written with shamelessly incorrect knowledge and obvious malevolence!  A retraction would be welcome!  I sincerely hope, the article has been sent to Mr. Orbán, that he would have a direct knowledge of the fake interview, he was used for! 

Sincerely,
András Füle, P. Eng.
TORONTO, CANADA

P.S.  Modified and edited from the original on May 15th, 2019