A PEARL IN THE CROWN
MIROSŁAW PIOTROWSKI
‘The Central-European University is the pearl in the crown of free, newly-united Europe’ – said the vice-president of the European Commission Frans Timmermans during a debate on Hungary. The prime minister of Hungary Viktor Orban was attending it.
The commission is shocked by the fact of implementing new regulations concerning foreign universities in this country. There are 28 of them but in fact it concerns one university mentioned by Timmermans, sponsored by an American financial speculator and philanthropist George Soros. His surname often appeared during the mentioned debate. The government of Hungary does not agree to a situation in which a millionaire would attack the legally elected government through his non-governmental organizations and also other initiatives, in this case the university. ‘Hungary will not give in (…) Today’s debate is taking place between us and the American currency speculator. We are not as strong as George Soros’ – Viktor Orban said in the EP. – I do not mean Soros here, answered Manfred Weber, the chairperson of the biggest political group EPL. ‘This is a paranoia time’ – he was supported by the chief of the liberals Guy Verhofstadt. He was also threatening that the next step of Orban would be burning books and, in fact, in this spirit the majority of pro-EU MEPs expressed their opinions.
One could hear a litanies concerning an alleged breach of human rights, criticism of the Hungarian action ‘Stop Brussels’, accusations of not letting in refugees, discrimination of Roman children, etc. The main message was to be information spreading in the world that at present in Hungary there is an action aimed against the freedom of universities functioning. This narration was disrupted by a British Nigel Farage saying that Orban simply ‘wants to close the propaganda regime of Soros, masked as a univeristy’. So, Soros, a millionaire, a speculator, lobbyist…
I was listening to the whole debate and despite so many words, one fact was missing. After all, not so long time ago, were European media informed about stealing inner documents of Soros’ foundation by hackers. They said that the main character of our debate had made an inner list of his allies in the European Parliament, that is, Euro-deputies, including the main political groups, and even the chairman of the Parliament. In total it is 226 people. Nearly one third of our whole Chamber. In the revealed documents there is information about many of them, particularly – whom they can influence and whom they are to convince. Surely, not only during a debate, but also during voting. In fact this is – using the words of Timmermans – a real pearl in the crown of united Europe.
AA
„Niedziela” 19/2017