“The left wing’s continued ideological warfare against Central and Eastern European countries divides and disintegrates Europe,” Balazs Hidveghi, MEP of Hungary’s larger governing party, said in his speech at the European Parliament’s debate on the media situation in Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. Sooner or later, left-wing attacks will target any right-wing government that boldly and firmly stands up for their values, the MEP stressed.
The European Parliament’s plenary session held a debate on the state of the media in Hungary, Poland and Slovenia on Wednesday afternoon in Brussels. Initially, the debate would have focused on Poland alone. The Hungarian media situation was subsequently put on the agenda at the intiative of left-wing groups, citing the case of Klubradio (a opposition radio station in Hungary, whose licence was not automatically extended due to repeated legal violations by the radio – ed.), as well as the media situation in Slovenia.
Fidesz MEP Balazs Hidvegi described the case of Klubradio as “drummed-up scare-mongering”. “Thanks to the undermining work of Hungary’s left wing, another all too well known smear campaign has been launched all over Europe. Unfortunately, European Commissioner Vera Jourova appears to be an excellent partner in this respect,” Mr Hidveghi pointed out.
The MEP added: “In Hungary, frequencies are won based on laws, which cannot be bypassed either by the (media) authority, or Klubradio itself. The fact that the radio’s frequency was not automatically renewed is solely the result of the radio’s repeated violations of the law. The new frequency tender is under way, and Klubradio is the only valid participant.”
Mr Hidveghi said recent steps taken by Peter Niedermuller, the opposition mayor of Budapest’s 7th district “to shut down Europe’s only Jewish community channel Heti TV for refusing to cater to his political agenda” were “more alarming”. “We never heard the leftist EP groups speak out on this affair,” Mr Hidveghi added.
According to the Fidesz MEP, it is a general tendency that if a right-wing government stands up for its values, the left wing in Brussels falls on it immediately for fabricated reasons. Besides Hungary and Poland, Slovakia has also become the target of those attacks. “What is going on here is the institutionalised division and destruction of Europe. Leftist politicians and EU institutions create a Cold War-like atmosphere by launching an array of ideological and political attacks on Central and Eastern European countries. It is not in the interest of Europe, but Europe’s enemies,” Mr Hidveghi warned.
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