Analysis
Society
Funding Cuts to Czech NGOs Fuel Populist Surge Ahead of Elections
22 May 2025
The current COVID-19 pandemic fully illustrates where Hungary has moved under Viktor Orbán over the last decade. It shows how independent Hungarian media do not have access to official information, how military uniforms have become the norm in the country, and also how little Hungarians are interested in the issue of increasing Chinese influence.
“The militarisation of Hungarian society is growing. Orbán’s view of the soldiers is that they should create a sense of security among people,” explains Márton Gergely, deputy editor-in-chief of the Hungarian independent weekly HVG.
According to him, military patrols in Budapest with camouflage uniforms and machine guns began after the terrorist attacks in Europe in recent years.
Added to this was the migration crisis in 2015, which put certain areas of Hungary in a state of emergency, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, and allowed the border army to patrol alongside the police.
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