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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/10/hungary-peter-magyar-apologises-to-those-wronged-under-orban-in-first-speech-pm>
"Moments after he was sworn in as Hungary’s prime minister, Péter Magyar
apologised to those who had been maligned by the state during Viktor Orbán’s
time in power as questions continue to swirl over what lies ahead for the
country as it launches into a new era.
Magyar used his first speech as prime minister on Saturday to address the many
in Hungary who had paid a personal price for speaking up about the steady
erosion of rights under Orbán and his Fidesz party.
“I apologise to all those civilians, teachers, journalists, health workers and
public figures who have been stigmatised, harassed, or treated as enemies for
daring to speak out, for daring to stand up for the vulnerable, for
criticising, or for simply expressing a different opinion,” he said. “I
apologise.”
It was a poignant nod to how Orbán, arguably the world’s most successful
populist leader, had targeted civil society groups and media outlets critical
of his government for years, launching investigations, smear campaigns and
bogging them down in bureaucracy.
Those who went against the former leader at times ended up in court. The
liberal mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony, and a Roma organiser in Pécs were
charged for organising Pride marches – a first in the EU. One of the country’s
most prominent investigative journalists was charged with espionage.
In the wake of Magyar and his Tisza party’s landslide victory last month, the
espionage charges – described by the Committee to Protect Journalists as
baseless – were dropped.
Magyar used his platform on Saturday to strike a very different tone, calling
on Hungarians to come together and pledging to build a country that would be
more free, humane and hopeful than under Orbán’s populist nationalist movement.
“What connects us will be stronger than what divides us,” he said. “Hungary
will be home for every Hungarian, and everyone can feel like they have a place
in the Hungarian nation. Family, friends and communities will be able to speak
to each other again.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
