Uproar as Orban defends Hungarian media law

THERE was uproar in the European Parliament as Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban defended his controversial media law while presenting his country’s six-month EU presidency programme.

Some MEPs stood in silence, their mouths taped with sticking plaster, holding papers with the names of media and a red “censored” printed across them.

But Orban was not for turning. He retorted that the MEPs in their addresses had repeated mistaken views of the law, saying that the attacks were a direct attack on Hungary and its people.

The legislation introduced on January 1 has set up a five-person board, all appointed by the government and all members of or supporters of Orban’s party, for nine years. They must license all media and they are free to monitor all media, insisting it provides “balanced reports” and adheres to a list of broad but poorly defined values, or face sanctions including large fines.

Orban, who has a two-thirds majority in his parliament, said he would change whatever the European Commission forced him to, but warned, “We do not want our internal affairs to be mixed with [those of] the EU”.

The once student firebrand and now leader of the Greens, Danny Cohn-Bendit, told him the basis of democracy was freedom of expression and democracy never died from too much freedom. “You knew that 20 years ago when you fought for freedom. Come back into the fold and understand what you knew then.”

But Orban said he was being punished for having a two-thirds majority in his Parliament and they had passed the media law. “I will not stand for you contesting the democratic aspirations of Hungary. We lived under a dictatorship for 40 years.”

Cohn-Bendit shot back at him: “Truth is not always on the side of the majority. This is about pitting people against each other, not letting people have a proper debate. Mr Orban, you invited us to dine with you. We have lost our appetite and do not want to dine with you at all.”