Miklós Szánthó, director general of the Center for Fundamental Rights gave an interview to news website Origo, apropos CPAC Texas, starting on August 4, where Viktor Orbán will also speak. This is going to be the fifth CPAC event this year, one of which was held in Budapest in May. Origo asked Szánthó why it was necessary for conservatives to meet this frequently.
Not Only Necessary, Also Needed
Szánthó answered by explaining that frequent meetings are not only necessary, they are also fundamental and needed. He said that a year ago, there was consensus that close cooperation between the conservatives of the world was vital in order to combat leftists’ attempts to achieve total hegemony. Now, he said, he can proudly say that the cooperation has been created and is successful, and the objective now is to improve and widen the existing cooperation.
‘We did not only borrow their favourite weapon, but we are using it better than they ever did’
In achieving that, CPAC conferences play an extraordinary role, since theye are the most influential events in terms of conservative life and politics in the world. He also added that conference speakers always include the ‘giants of the intellectual right’. Nothing proves better the significance of CPAC events than the outrage in the international press, Szánthó added sarcastically, remarking that ‘The left is worried because we did not only borrow their favourite weapon, networking, but we are using it better than they ever did.’ Conservative conferences are gaining more and more traction globally and are generally more energetic, intellectual, and well-liked than the ‘post-modern, boring events of the left,’ he said, adding that ‘CPAC is the worst nightmare of the liberal globalism: nationalist powers cooperating internationally.’
The Texas Event
The three-day-long CPAC Texas is starting on 4 August, and will feature former US President Donald Trump, and the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán. Orbán will open the general meeting and will be the first to speak at the conference as the guest of honour. Szánthó explained that this is a ‘huge honour to Hungary, yet it is neither unexpected nor undeserved’. In the last decade the Hungarian right has grown to be one of the most successful political communities of the Western world. Stemming from this, the US has been showing increasing interest in the achievements of Hungarian nationalism, making the words of Orbán weigh more and more in the world of conservativism. ‘Now even the American right considers the Hungarian leader the symbol of freedom, a champion of genuine Western values and a prominent leader of the conservative movement,’ he added.
The Attacks from the Left
The leader of the Center for Fundamental Rights also talked about the frequent attacks from the left on Hungary.
‘There is nothing unexpected in our country being in the crossfire of liberal globalists, however, currently their actions seem to be becoming more aggressive and hysterical. There are two reasons for this. One is that by attacking our country, they are attempting to divert attention from their own mistakes. The other is that the progressive side has realized that conservative cooperation has come to fruition,’ he stated.
‘Their actions seem to be becoming more aggressive and hysterical’
He recalled that prominent personalities such as Fox News show host Tucker Carlson or influencer and author Candace Owens are starting to voice their support of Hungary more frequently. He also stated that another factor that the international left must take into consideration is that Hungarian conservative institutions, such as the Danube Institute or Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) have managed to build an excellent international network in the last few years. These facts all added up and generated a ‘panic-like reaction among progressives’, he concluded.
