Fears that Putin closer to the EU will create a new dictatorship in Europe

– I think there must be another revolution if we don’t want to end up like Belarus, says LGBT researcher and activist Dorottya Redai on TV 2.

She is a professor at the Central European University in Budapest and believes the country’s authorities are in the process of silencing dissent.

“Urban insists on good relations with Russia,” said Reday.

On April 3, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was re-elected after 12 years in power. According to several Norwegian experts, . is used Putin’s many strategies.

“Urban had close relations with Russia and Putin,” Eastern Europe expert Eva Sarvi told TV 2 ahead of the election.

Redai, as of Times MagazineIn the list of the 100 most influential people in the world, she stated in an interview with TV 2 that she is very worried about the future of the country.

“We really hoped Urban would lose this time,” she says, breathing heavily.

“We must realize that this is an election that won with propaganda, not with truth or honour,” opposition leader Peter Markie Zay told a news conference after losing the election.

– This is no longer a democracy. We are a country that sorely lacks press freedom, and there is a lot of manipulation of people’s opinions here. She says the amount of publicity is unbelievable.

You will continue to cooperate with Putin

The European Union is discussing tougher sanctions against Russia, including halting Russian imports of oil and gas. Hungary is among the European Union countries that do not want a ban on Russian energy.

Hungary is part of the European Union, so Orban must remain consistent with them, but he also wants to maintain cooperation with Putin, for economic and other reasons, Reday believes.

Hungary is Ukraine’s neighbor and refuses to allow the transfer of weapons destined for Ukraine through the country. Redai believes that the population of Hungary is heavily influenced by Russian propaganda.

Many believe that what is produced is reality. She says they blame the Ukrainians for the war and it is very harmful.

Hungary also does not send weapons to Ukraine, but it has joined the economic sanctions imposed by the European Union.

torn children’s book

Rezai is one of the authors, who is behind the book «Meseorszag Mindenkie», which in Norwegian means adventure for all. The book has become the subject of a highly polarized debate in Hungary.

– We were expecting some reactions, but we never imagined how strong the reactions would be.

The book published in 2020 is a collection of fairy tales. Fairy tales have been rewritten with characters from different minority groups.

5 out of 17 anecdotes have characters from the LGBT community.

When the book was published, a far-right politician publicly tore up the book – with the prime minister’s support.

– Urban gave a speech about the writers and they eventually began introducing laws to restrict gay rights, but this debate was already underway, says Reday and continues:

“This book is part of a longer process and I believe it has been used in politics as an excuse to further deny gay rights,” she says.

The following year, the state was due to enact a law, making it illegal to read a book of fairy tales to children in Hungary.

The law prohibits the production of gay and transgender material aimed at children.

“Since the law was passed, we see that there has been an increasing number of cases of physical and psychological violence against LGBTQ people,” says Reda.

The controversial law also forbids the education of what they call “gay propaganda”. For Redai, this had dire consequences.

– We have a school program, more than 20 years old, which is related to, among other things, the education of LGBT people and discrimination. Now we are no longer required to come to schools, she says.

Consider leaving the country

at Time Magazine-Grades, they write that it takes a lot of courage to be able to resist Viktor Orbán’s attack on the LGBT community. In their justification, they wrote that Redai became a symbol for exactly this.

For TV 2, she described work as an activist, as very demanding. She believes that the opposition is dwindling and dwindling and fears human rights in the country.

– I think things will get worse in Hungary, she says.

She says many activists and professors are now considering leaving the country.

– I have a contradictory relationship with her. I have an important role in the “Labrisz Lesbian Association” (Hungary’s gay organization, journal.anm), but I only have one life, so I have to decide what’s most important. It’s tough.

She points to the presidential elections in Belarus in 2020 when anti-election demonstrations were crushed with an iron fist. The country’s president is often referred to as Europe’s last dictator and cracks down on all forms of dissent.

That the same thing would happen in Hungary is a great fear for Rezai, but she did not give up hope that the country would go in a better direction.

– It is possible to bring about change, but this will require a lot of mobilization from the rest of the organizations that are fighting against the regime. It is very demanding and demanding, says Raza.