This episode of EU Scream aired a couple of weeks ago amid expectations Europe\u2019s conservatives would expel Prime Minister Viktor Orb\xe1n of Hungary and his Fidesz party for violating the rule of law and insulting EU leaders.
Last week the European People\u2019s Party, as the conservatives are known, agreed a mere suspension.\xa0
Rather than showing contrition, Orb\xe1n immediately resumed his belligerent stance against migrants and the European Commission. Listen to this update to hear Orb\xe1n indulging in post-truth politicking so fanciful that journalists burst out laughing.\xa0
It\u2019s against this background that we are revisiting stories and analysis from three people smeared by Orban and Fidesz: the human rights activist M\xe1rta Pardavi; the European Parliamentarian Judith Sargentini; and the political scientist P\xe9ter Krek\xf3.
The smears they describe are part of an atmosphere of political and psychological warfare in Hungary and could serve as a model for other strong men and autocrats in Europe.\xa0
Pardavi is co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a human rights group based in Budapest and among the most prominent targets of Orb\xe1n\u2019s ire. Last year Pardavi was honoured for her courage and work by Human Rights First in New York.
Krek\xf3 is a social psychologist and political scientist and executive director of Political Capital, a research institute and consultancy in Budapest. He\u2019s the author of a book on the Hungarian far right and another on fake news and conspiracy theories. Krek\xf3 slams the European Commission for going too easy on Budapest for too long.
Sargentini is a member of the European Parliament from the Netherlands who wrote a damning report last year on the erosion of democracy in Hungary. The report made Sargentini one of the prime foreign targets for Budapest\u2019s smear campaigns. She says she can no longer visit Hungary.
\u201cBeethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125\u201d by Papalin is licensed under CC by 3.0. "Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2, S. 244-2\u201d by Franz Liszt and played by Simone Renzi is licensed under CC by 3.0. \u201cAirside No. 9\u201d is played by Lara Natale.