Hungarian Politics

[Grinning_Colossus]

Hispano-Magyars go home

Venezuela crisis: Secret escape to anti-migration Hungary

It may come as a surprise to see refugees from the turmoil in Venezuela warmly welcomed in Hungary - by a government widely known to be hostile to immigration and asylum.

About 350 have already arrived on plane tickets funded by the state. Another 750 are on a list, waiting in Caracas, and more may follow.

But there's a catch.

All those who apply must prove Hungarian ancestry, however distant that might be.

Government spokesmen have been at pains to insist that they are genuine Hungarians "coming home", though very few were actually born in Hungary, let alone speak Hungarian.

Who are they?
Most Venezuelans with Hungarian ancestry emigrated in two waves.

The first, after World War Two, included many associated with the Miklos Horthy regime which sided with Nazi Germany. Some had been involved in the deportation of Hungarian Jews to Nazi death camps.

A very different group of around 400 followed after the 1956 failed revolution, including some who had fought the Soviet army on the barricades in Budapest.

The community has since swelled to several thousand. Many young Venezuelans without any Hungarian ancestry were attracted by the vibrant cultural life of the community in Caracas, with its dance and scout groups.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47401440

Two thoughts:
1) I'm glad that the boys from Brazil's low-rent neighbors have a place to take refuge. 
2) Don't we all have Hungarian ancestry, thanks to a certain period in their history?

[Tamas]

While asylum requests in the EU have fallen back to their 2014 (pre-migation risis) levels, Hungarian propaganda continues to maintain an alternative reality.

Just seen an news report/article from the state TV's news site from a few days ago, where their "reporters" allegedly went to the mountains of Bosnia and seen "an endless line of migrants, mostly young men, marching orderely toward the EU's borders".

They drive their point home with a video showing 3 migrants:



Sigh

[Tamas]

To be fair though, Orban is such chums with Erdogan, I'd fully expect his Turkish colleague to give him advance warning before he cancels his tribute-for-locking-up-refugees deal with the EU.

[Valmy]

Orban is buds with both Maduro and Erdogan eh?

See this is why Hungary is always on the losing side, it is shitty at choosing allies.

[Tamas]

See this is why Hungary is always on the losing side, it is shitty at choosing allies.

No kidding!



BTW the European People's Party (I think that's how Orban's EU party alliance is called) is getting very loud with criticism of Orban after more than enough of their member parties requested that Fidesz be kicked out of the alliance. There'll be a vote on that soon.

But I don't expect them to actually kick him out, they need the votes. They'll be playing all angry and ready for action and somehow delay it until after the elections, at which point they'll sweep it under the rug unless the results mean they don't him any longer.

[Tamas]

Artistic photo from one of Budapest's outside districts:

[Duque de Bragança]

I do think that the culture-shock effect of "mass immigration" should not be dismissed off-hand just because it is being capitalised on by the usual suspects, and I am sure it affects both the host culture and the immigrants.

But also I think it is nowhere near as severe as the far-right makes it out to be even in places where it has actually happened (unlike Hungary). The danger of parallel societies must be real but I think it'd be something that would gradually go away on its own if left largely alone.

The latter part is very naive, or very optimistic at the very best, based on what is happening here. Parallel societies appeared precisely when left alone, specially in countries without assimilation/integration policies.

[Tamas]

IDK. Read some opinions/news from the US when they had masses of Irish and Italians arriving and try to find a difference between hose worries and the worries you hear from Europe.

[Duque de Bragança]

IDK. Read some opinions/news from the US when they had masses of Irish and Italians arriving and try to find a difference between hose worries and the worries you hear from Europe.

I don't think the past US experience to be relevant for Europe to be honest, maybe for countries used to communautarisme (identity-based communalism). The identity politics exported over here however have considerably worsened things, integration/assimilation-wise.

Italians, as cheap labour, had it rough in France too in the 19th century (try googling Aigues-Mortes pogrom). Peanuts compared to what muslim immigration does nowadays, which could use some questioning, internal reforming and tolerance of the other, so careful with comparisons with the past.

[Threviel]

I don't understand. Are you saying that the Italians had it harder or easier than muslim immigration nowadays?

[Duque de Bragança]

I don't understand. Are you saying that the Italians had it harder or easier than muslim immigration nowadays?

They got a much rougher treatment, for playing the cheap labour part, yet do no whinge perpetually about past ills.
Italians are more or less integrated or assimilated nowadays.
Contrast that with muslim immigration, at least the leaders of their lobbies/associations, who claim perpetually victim status without questioning themselves.

[Threviel]

Ahh, so the Italians had it tougher. That's what I thought and what sounds reasonable. Life in the 19th century was far harsher generally though so it is difficult to compare absolutes.

[Duque de Bragança]

Ahh, so the Italians had it tougher. That's what I thought and what sounds reasonable. Life in the 19th century was far harsher generally though so it is difficult to compare absolutes.

Exactly.

[Threviel]

I would guess that a major difference today, compared to only about 50 years ago is that we don't really need cheap labour. We need nurses, carpenters,doctors, clerks, qualified factory workers and so on. We don't need peasants or uneducated hard labourers.

The natural integration that previously happened in the work space just isn't there anymore. Just in time for the muslims and africans where the cultural differences are greater than ever.

[Tamas]

Since Fidesz getting kicked out of the People's Party alliance (is that their English name?) is now a possibility, their media has started the just-in-case preparatory work, with their main newspaper publishing an "anonymus" "editorial" that is "demanding" that Fidesz stops tolerating the liberal cesspool that is their party alliance, and leave.