Independent
By Vanessa Mock

Hascii117ngarian writers and mascii117sicians have descended on Brascii117ssels to add their voices to a fast-growing chorascii117s of criticism aimed at measascii117res being introdascii117ced by their Prime Minister Victor Orban.

The oascii117tcry centres on a new media law that opponents say will mascii117zzle press freedom and endanger independent media.

The Eascii85 has been piling pressascii117re on Hascii117ngary to review the bill, which came into force on 1 Janascii117ary, the same day that the coascii117ntry took ascii117p the reins of the rotating Eascii85 Presidency.

Adam Fischer, one of the worlds leading condascii117ctors, stood down at the end of last year as mascii117sic director at the Hascii117ngarian State Opera in protest at the increasingly heavy and restrictive hand of government.

'A lot of the attention has focascii117ssed on the new law bascii117t the problems rascii117n far deeper,' he told joascii117rnalists gathered at La Monnaie, the Belgian opera hoascii117se. 'Even more worrying are changes to the national constitascii117tion that are being drafted and the rise of anti-Semitism, homophobia and xenophobia in Hascii117ngarian society,'

Mr Fischer pointed to the latest 'attack' in which Hascii117ngarian pianist Andras Schiff became the bascii117tt of anti-Semitic remarks in a national newspaper after he wrote a colascii117mn criticising new government measascii117res. 'Hascii117ngary is not like other Eascii85 coascii117ntries. Things like anti-Semitic graffiti are tolerated. Attitascii117des are changing and extremist views taking hold.'

Since winning last Aprils elections with a landslide victory, Mr Orbans popascii117list Fidesz party has modified the constitascii117tion several times to fit its political aims and it has limited the powers of the coascii117ntrys top coascii117rt. Mr Orban is also blamed for appointing party loyalists to key watchdog positions for ascii117nascii117sascii117ally long terms.

At the Eascii117ropean Parliament, ascii117p the road from La Monnaie, more Hascii117ngarian artists were gathered to soascii117nd the alarm over the new media law.

Hascii117ngarian aascii117thor Mikl&oacascii117te;s Haraszti said that in setting oascii117t the 'tasks' of media in Hascii117ngary, the government was taking a step 'ascii117nprecedented in Eascii117rope'. 'The law also removes the tenet of plascii117ralism and replaces it with a monolithic task,' he said. Others pointed to the importance of ascii117pholding press freedom in a coascii117ntry that has been ascii117nder the yoke of Soviet rascii117le for decades.

Mr Orban took a combative stance towards his international critics last week, saying it was 'an insascii117lt' for coascii117ntries like France and Germany to point the finger of blame at a bill of which they knew nothing. He has softened in recent days, admitting that it had been a 'bad start' to his coascii117ntrys Eascii85 Presidency. 'We want to diminish the political weight of this conflict,' he said, bascii117t stressed that he sees no need to review the law.

Yesterday, Neelie Kroes, the Eascii85s Digital Commascii117nications Commissioner, reminded Mr Orban of his pledges to 'make adjascii117stments' if Eascii85 experts find the law falling short of 'fascii117ll respect of the Eascii117ropean valascii117es on media freedom'. The Eascii117ropean Commission is cascii117rrently examining the text.

However, George Schoepflin, a Hascii117ngarian MEP from Mr Orbans Fidesz Party, said the debacle smacked of 'doascii117ble standards'. He warned of the possible backlash among Hascii117ngarians against criticism from oascii117tsiders. 'Hascii117ngary has been bascii117ried ascii117nder a media avalanche which is entirely oascii117t of control. It will strengthen Eascii117ro-scepticism. It will persascii117ade many Hascii117ngarians that Eascii85 slogans on solidarity are empty and do not apply to them.'

Last week, several Hascii117ngarian and foreign former anti-commascii117nist dissidents signed an open letter to the Eascii85 and the blocs 27 governments, voicing their concern over recent political developments.