Summary

The Central European University (CEU) has been forced to leave Hungary due to the government's actions, leading to a sense of betrayal by the academic community and criticism of the European People's Party's (EPP) inaction.

Abstract

The Central European University (CEU) has been compelled to cease operations in Budapest following a press conference where its president, Michael Ignatieff, declared the institution had been forced out by the Hungarian government. This event marks a significant moment as a U.S. and European institution is ousted from an EU and NATO member state. The Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, has been labeled a dictator by critics, and his actions have been met with muted responses from the European People's Party (EPP), despite earlier commitments to defend academic freedom and the rule of law. A CEU supervisor's tweet criticizing the EPP's inaction was blocked, further illustrating the tension between stated principles and political reality. The situation has led to feelings of betrayal among those who believed in the EPP's commitment to democratic values.

Opinions

The author expresses dismay at the Hungarian government's ability to force CEU out of the country despite international alliances and commitments to academic freedom.
There is a sense of frustration and anger towards the EPP for not taking stronger action against Hungary's Fidesz party and its leader, Viktor Orbán, despite his government's actions against CEU being a declared "red line" for the EPP.
The blocking of the CEU supervisor's tweet by the EPP is seen as an attempt to silence criticism and is indicative of the EPP's reluctance to confront the illiberal actions of its members.
The author feels that the EPP's actions, or lack thereof, are a betrayal of democratic principles and undermine the credibility of mainstream politicians who claim to uphold these values.
The author uses dark humor to cope with the gravity of the situation, making light of the supervisor's tweet going "viral" amidst the broader context of repression and the closing of democratic spaces in Hungary.

Betrayed

It’s over.

There was a press conference at my Central Europen University (CEU) today and the occasion was not a happy one.

“CEU has been forced out”, said our president Michael Ignatieff. “This is unprecedented. A U.S. institution has been driven out of a country that is a NATO ally. A European institution has been ousted from a member state of the EU.” (More info and timeline of events.)

Wat this means: Hungarian’s dictator Orbán can, it turns out, get away with this.

I didn’t attend, but had lunch with my supervisor, who did, after. We ran into each other by chance at the cafeteria.

“Let’s chat”, he announced.

We sat down.

“I’ve been spending too much time on Twitter lately”, he said, turning off Twitter, depositing his phone in his bag.

“About that”, I jumped in, “I saw something about a Tweet of yours being blocked?”

“I’ve been in the Hungarian news actually”, he laughed bitterly.

“Oh wow, what did you do?”

He leaned forward: “Terrible picture.”

“What?”

“The news. They used a terrible picture of me.”

“Oh”, I stumbled, disappointed.

“A tweet of mine was blocked by the European People’s Party (EPP)”, he finally explained with a changing tone of voice. “Earlier, they claimed that

‘We will not accept that any basic freedoms are restricted or rule of law is disregarded. This includes academic freedom and the autonomy of universities. The EPP wants the CEU to remain open.’

He spoke more firmly now. “The forced closure of CEU was a “red line” for the EPP. In words, that is. In deeds, not so much.”

Orbán’s Fidesz-party is a member of the EPP and the EPP committed itself to sanctions, were CEU to be forced out of Hungary. Orban, however, called their bluff and the EPP remains painfully muted.

I got angry. “Apparently, corrupt dictators are not the only politicians who pretend to have principles but actually don’t”.

He: “So I tweeted:

“You’d better get more paint for your red lines @EPP because your little dictator Orbán has been walking all over them. This week he’s expelling a university and accepting major media orgs as ‘donations’ to a propaganda foundation. Is this what you stand #StrongerTogether for?””

The EPP reacted by blocking the tweet.

When I put the pieces together, I almost fell off my chair.

Some politicians, like Orban, have already outed themselves as “illiberal”. It was shocking to me that mainstream politicians like those of the European People’s Party are similarly undermining democracy.

I had thought they were the good guys.

This felt like a betrayal.

Back at the press conference, our Provost concluded that the floodgates have now been opened: “A line has been crossed. People are being forced out of the country. In Hungary, the reign of repression has been started.”

As I always do when I feel bad, I tried to joke it away.

“At least your tweet went viral”, I commented on the topic of floodgates being opened.

“I didn’t really go viral”, he modestly dismissed the suggestion.

“Okay, maybe a little viral.”

There’s more to that

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