A conservative commentator accuses the government of advancing Hungary’s Turkic ancestry out of geopolitical considerations. Another conservative historian dismisses the accusation, and welcomes the inclusion of the nomadic heritage in the Hungarian national identity. READ MORE
A pro-government political scientist challenges the established view that the founder of the Hungarian state opted for the West when he pledged allegiance to the Pope and enforced Christianity in his nascent state. READ MORE
A conservative pundit pokes fun at the authorities who wiped Moses’ route to the Promised Land from school maps in order not to offend either Jewish or Palestinian Arab sensitivities. READ MORE
Commenting on a foiled initiative to unveil the bust of a pre-war right-wing politician, left-wing commentators accuse the government of indulging in a cult of racist personalities. Their pro-government counterpart denies the allegation that György Donáth was an anti-Semite, while an independent conservative author calls on the opposing sides to show more tolerance towards each other. READ MORE
The leading left-wing daily criticizes plans to honour the memory of historian Bálint Hóman, who as Minister of Education and Religion under Regent Miklos Horthy was actively involved in anti-Semitic legislation. READ MORE
Columnists on both the left and the right project the lessons of World War I onto current events, and warn that defiant and unyielding geopolitics may trigger a chain reaction that cannot be contained.
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A liberal columnist comments on a recent opinion survey about the Nazi Occupation Memorial in Budapest, and contends that without a proper debate on the controversial past, the erection of statues is simply a waste of money and a divisive act in Hungary. READ MORE
As Hungary remembers the victims of Communism on 25 February, a conservative columnist complains that former communist officials have been the main beneficiaries of the transition to democracy. READ MORE
A left-wing commentator welcomes a statement by the leaders of the Jewish religious communities who are threatening to withdraw from the state commemorations to mark the 70th anniversary of the Holocaust, unless the government changes its approach to history and stops implicitly whitewashing Hungarian wartime collaborators. A pro-government columnist accuses critics of denying Hungary’s occupation by Nazi Germany.
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Mária Schmidt accuses Hungary’s foreign critics of applying double standards. The conservative historian suggests that the widespread western criticism of recent legislative developments in Hungary is inspired by left-wing intellectuals who have not yet done their homework. READ MORE