Politics
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Hungarian Academy Scientists to Boycott Orbán's Visit?
Hungarian Academy Scientists Threaten Boycott Over Orbán's Planned Visit
BUDAPEST – A significant portion of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) may boycott a planned visit by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, according to a statement released by the Academy's Economic and Juridical Sciences Division. The boycott is in direct response to Orbán's March 15th speech, which the Division deemed unacceptable.
The statement, sent to Válasz Online, criticizes Orbán's address for transgressing "written and unwritten norms expected of a prime minister in a rule of law state." The Division specifically condemned what it called "incitement-style dehumanization of various social groups" and "tendentious allusions" suggesting some communities have resided in Hungary "too long" and "survived too much." These actions, the statement asserts, are "morally unacceptable, raise questions of legal responsibility, and are demonstrably dangerous in light of modern history."
The motion to potentially boycott Orbán's attendance at the Academy's 200th-anniversary jubilee assembly in May was proposed by Földi András (ELTE Law Faculty Professor Emeritus), Mihályi Péter (former Deputy Secretary of State and professor at Corvinus University), and Vörös Imre (former constitutional judge and MTA member). The proposal was unanimously adopted by the Division on March 26th following a lengthy discussion.
Among those voting in favor were prominent figures including Chikán Attila (minister in Orbán's first government), and Vékás Lajos (Széchenyi Prize-winning legal scholar who assisted the government in drafting the new civil code). The Division has requested that its chairman, Halmai Péter (Széchenyi Prize-winning economist and professor at the National University of Public Service), inform the MTA Presidency that a substantial walkout is expected should Orbán attend. The statement explicitly notes that a “significant portion” of attendees would leave the assembly in protest.
Orbán's March 15th speech, referred to as the "bedbug speech," included comments about eliminating a "financial mechanism" that allegedly bought politicians, judges, journalists, and NGOs. While a subsequent complaint by the Mindenki Magyarországa Néppárt (MMN) party alleging incitement was dismissed by the Central Investigative Prosecutor's Office, citing a lack of specific individuals or groups targeted in the speech, the MTA's Economic and Juridical Sciences Division's statement maintains a strong condemnation of the Prime Minister's rhetoric.
BUDAPEST – A significant portion of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) may boycott a planned visit by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, according to a statement released by the Academy's Economic and Juridical Sciences Division. The boycott is in direct response to Orbán's March 15th speech, which the Division deemed unacceptable.
The statement, sent to Válasz Online, criticizes Orbán's address for transgressing "written and unwritten norms expected of a prime minister in a rule of law state." The Division specifically condemned what it called "incitement-style dehumanization of various social groups" and "tendentious allusions" suggesting some communities have resided in Hungary "too long" and "survived too much." These actions, the statement asserts, are "morally unacceptable, raise questions of legal responsibility, and are demonstrably dangerous in light of modern history."
The motion to potentially boycott Orbán's attendance at the Academy's 200th-anniversary jubilee assembly in May was proposed by Földi András (ELTE Law Faculty Professor Emeritus), Mihályi Péter (former Deputy Secretary of State and professor at Corvinus University), and Vörös Imre (former constitutional judge and MTA member). The proposal was unanimously adopted by the Division on March 26th following a lengthy discussion.
Among those voting in favor were prominent figures including Chikán Attila (minister in Orbán's first government), and Vékás Lajos (Széchenyi Prize-winning legal scholar who assisted the government in drafting the new civil code). The Division has requested that its chairman, Halmai Péter (Széchenyi Prize-winning economist and professor at the National University of Public Service), inform the MTA Presidency that a substantial walkout is expected should Orbán attend. The statement explicitly notes that a “significant portion” of attendees would leave the assembly in protest.
Orbán's March 15th speech, referred to as the "bedbug speech," included comments about eliminating a "financial mechanism" that allegedly bought politicians, judges, journalists, and NGOs. While a subsequent complaint by the Mindenki Magyarországa Néppárt (MMN) party alleging incitement was dismissed by the Central Investigative Prosecutor's Office, citing a lack of specific individuals or groups targeted in the speech, the MTA's Economic and Juridical Sciences Division's statement maintains a strong condemnation of the Prime Minister's rhetoric.
