Hungary backs down on "anti-semitic" Soros billboard campaign

Hungary backs down on
Some of the anti-immigration billboards featuring the 86-year-old philanthropist George Soros have reportedly been daubed with anti-semitic graffiti. / Niccolò Caranti.
By bne IntelliNews July 12, 2017

The Budapest government is set to remove posters featuring Hungarian-born Jewish emigre and financier George Soros from the streets from July 15, local media reported on July 12. However, government officials attempted to play down the controversy surrounding the anti-immigration campaign which has blown up into a storm over perceived anti-semitism. They claimed the reason for taking down the billboards is to meet new legislation.

The government has demonised the 86-year-old philanthropic liberal and billionaire Soros - seen as illiberal Hungarian PM Viktor Orban's public enemy number one - for months. It has accused him of being a billionaire speculator promoting plans to force Hungary to accept the immigration of a million illegal immigrants into Europe. Orban has stepped up his rhetoric against Brussels over migration to strengthen his position ahead of the general election scheduled in 2018. He has obstructed the EU's refugee relocation scheme, blocking the settling of some 1,300 migrants in Hungary.

Soros is involved in an ongoing row with Budapest over legislation that appears designed to create conditions that could see his Central European University (CEU) closed down in Hungary. The EU and US have both claimed Budapest is threatening academic freedom and independence with the legislation.

In its latest clash with Soros, the government has run an unprecedented billboard campaign costing more than HUF5bn. It shows a grinning Soros with the message: "Let's not let Soros have the last laugh." Several instances of graffiti, including insults such as "Stinking Jew" and Stars of David, being daubed on some of the billboards have been reported.

"I am distressed by the current Hungarian regime's use of anti-Semitic imagery as part of its deliberate disinformation campaign," said Soros, responding to the controversy in a rare statement released on July 12. 

"Equally, I am heartened that together with countless fellow citizens the leadership of the Hungarian Jewish community has spoken out against the campaign", he added. 

The billboards and outdoor posters plastered all over Budapest and major cities around Hungary have drawn international criticism.

Israeli Ambassador to Hungary, Yossi Amrani, called on the government to consider removing the materials as they "not only evoke sad memories but also sow hatred and fear".

On July 11, Michael Vachon, a spokesperson for Soros, said the publicity campaign was “reminiscent of Europe’s darkest hours” with “clearly anti-semitic overtones”.

The government has consistently and wilfully misrepresented Soros’s views on migration and refugees, he said. The claim that Soros is promoting a scheme to import a million illegal immigrants into Europe is Orban’s fantasy, he added.

Government officials speaking to the ATV commercial television channel said they are removing the billboards because of a new regulation that limits the use of political ads on billboards outside campaign periods.

Opposition parties said the government is backing down due to pressure as the campaign gives off an unfavourable image of the country at a time when Hungary is hosting events including the FINA World Championship for water sports and preparing for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanjahu's visit next week.

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