Hungary’s Orban launches his offensive on Europe
2018-08-03 09:51:56 source：The Washington Post
August 2, 2018
Earlier this week, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivered an annual speech to ethnic Hungarians at a summer camp in Romania. He largely echoed the remarks he made last year, when he bemoaned European liberalism and championed the continent's Christian identity. But what seemed like boilerplate nationalist rhetoric then has more force now.
Backed by a hefty new electoral mandate, Orban has a broader mission in mind. He urged his right-wing comrades across Europe to "concentrate all our strength" on "important and decisive" 2019 elections for the European Parliament. He framed the challenge in grand historic terms, summoning his allies to cast out those in power still motivated by the values of "1968" — shorthand in Europe for liberal politics based on human rights, the rule of law and open, inclusive societies. "Next May we can wave goodbye not only to liberal democracy ... but also to the entire elite of ’68," Orban said.
The Hungarian leader emphatically drew the battle lines. "Let us confidently declare that Christian democracy is not liberal," he said. "Liberal democracy is liberal, while Christian democracy is, by definition, not liberal: it is, if you like, illiberal."
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