The posters were put up on billboards overnight ahead of the European elections and show von der Leyen alongside Alex Soros, the son of Hungarian-born investor George Soros, a regular target of Orban’s party.
Hungary’s ruling party today put up posters defaming the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen – the first time he has launched a personal attack against her – in a campaign similar to the one he launched against his predecessor and angered Brussels.
The posters were put up on billboards overnight ahead of June’s European elections and show von der Leyen alongside Alex Sorosthe son of the Hungarian-born investor George Sorosa permanent target of Orbán’s Fidesz party.
Hungary’s Orban erects billboards vilifying EU’s von der Leyen https://t.co/K9ufv4bqo6 pic.twitter.com/06iESieFeI
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 20, 2023
The slogan on the posters reads: “Let’s not do what they want.” Soros is Jewish, and some critics see his central role in Fidesz propaganda as a sign of anti-Semitism, which Fidesz vehemently denies.
Similar posters showing von der Leyen’s predecessor, Jean-Claude Juncker, next to Soros the Elder had angered Brussels in 2019.
Fidesz had removed them after the European Parliament’s largest party, the EPP, threatened to expel the Hungarian party. Finally, Fidesz left the EPP two years later.
Orban, whose government is trying to unlock billions of euros in EU funds suspended by Brussels because of Fidesz’s policies, said on Saturday that Hungary “should say no to the current European model that Brussels has built”.
Hungary is expected to be at the center of the next EU summit in mid-December as the EU country, which is friendlier to Russia and critical of plans to grant EU candidate status to Ukraine, is expected to be the top issue to be discussed at the session.
Orban sent a questionnaire to Hungarians on Friday asking them whether the EU should release more funding for Ukraine or grant it candidate status.
Source :Skai
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