Hungary attacks George Clooney for criticizing the Budapest government

“We like George Clooney as an actor … But his knowledge of history and politics seems limited,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on his official Facebook account.

Previously, government officials accused Clooney of being a puppet of American billionaire George Soros, who had been harassed by Orban for his alleged lobbying activities in support of immigration.

“GRAMO. Soros takes every opportunity to attack the Hungarian government. It is a bit annoying when there are actors, even non-political actors, who seek to realize Soros’ political aspirations,” said government spokesman Ors Farkas.

Several pro-Orban media outlets have published a photograph of Clooney in which he is immortalized along with Soros’s son Alexander.

Outrage from the Hungarian government sparked Clooney’s interview last week with GQ magazine, in which the actor spoke about his latest film, Midnight Sky. The actor mentioned Orban and Hungary as current examples of “hatred and rage.”

“The pandemic was not in full swing when the movie was shot, but there were still all those things left, things that show how much hatred and anger we are experiencing at this moment in history around the world; let’s see Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil and Orban in Hungary, let’s see, a lot of anger and hatred, ”he said.

Criticism Aštrėjanti V. Orbanui

In response to criticism from the Hungarian government, Clooney told the 24.hu news portal on Tuesday that he had “met George Soros only once, at a UN meeting on the refugee crisis, which was also attended by the United States’s president”.

“I also met his son Alex once at an event in Davos … that’s why Orban’s propaganda machine is lying, the point is,” Clooney said.

“I do not expect this response of mine to appear on many Hungarian news portals as they are owned and operated by the Orban regime and its close allies, but I will still be heard,” he added.

Orban, whose strict anti-immigrant policy often sparks controversy in the European Union over deviations from democratic norms, often accuses his critics of having ties to Soros.

The recent dispute with Clooney recalls Budapest’s outrage at the words of US President-elect Joe Biden during his election campaign.

“You see what happened everywhere, from Belarus to Poland to Hungary, and the rise of totalitarian regimes in the world,” Biden said.

During the presidential campaign, the Hungarian pro-government media portrayed Biden as a communist and Marxist who had ties to Soros. Orban himself expressed his support for Trump’s candidacy in the US presidential elections.