to Central Europe

met several Duma politicians there and gave a presentation about “Russia and Europe” in which
he criticized the European Union for giving up traditional values. 147
Although Western far-right parties generally refuse cooperation with Jobbik due to the party’s
racist stance, Jobbik nevertheless has good relations with some Western far-right movements
and persons. For example, Nick Griffin, the former leader of the British National Party (BNP) was
a guest-speaker at the third far-right “Population Conference” organized by Jobbik affiliates,
where he spoke about the need for “white, Christian children” in the face of African and Middle-
Eastern immigration; this later was interpreted as an anti-Roma stance in the Hungarian
context. 148
Despite being on good terms with the Russian ideologist, Vona refused Dugin’s more imperialistic
idea about the demise of nation states and the creation of a new union of Central Eastern European
states. 149,150 The party propagates mainly the geopolitical aspect of Eurasianism. The party’s
ideological and philosophical periodical aimed at the far-right intelligentsia, the Hungarian
Hyperion (Magyar Hüperión), dedicated a special issue for the Eurasianist ideology with Vona
himself writing a piece.
Jobbik aims to sanction the foreign funded NGOs similarly to Russia, and the party submitted a
parliamentary proposal in 2013 to “monitor the foreign influences under the disguise of nongovernmental
organizations.” 151 The party’s 2014 election program also threatened international
human rights NGOs’ “spurious activity” to be labeled as the work of “foreign agents,” modeled after
Russia. 152 Then, the party proposed a ban on “homosexual propaganda” as well, but Jobbik never
declared that their parallel proposal is connected to the Russian law. 153
The traditionalist, partly pro-Russian political agenda might help Jobbik to break out from its
international political isolation, for which the most obvious example was the formation of the farright
Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom caucus in the European Parliament
spearheaded by Front National excluding Jobbik, NPD or Greek Golden Dawn on grounds of racism
and neo-Nazi ideology.
Persons
One key pro-Russian person should be mentioned: Béla Kovács, MEP of Jobbik, who is currently
under criminal investigation for spying on the EU on behalf of Russia. 154 However, he is primarily
a political and economic lobbyist and a geopolitically oriented politician with no known record of
any cultural activities.
147 See: https://jobbik.hu/hireink/vona-gabor-lomonoszov-egyetemen-tartott-eloadast
148 See: http://nol.hu/belfold/jobbik-nepesedesi-konferencia-1604965
149 See: https://jobbik.hu/hireink/korrekt-es-konstruktiv-politikai-legkort The chairman does support a
geopolitically favorable situation for Hungary
150 “Eurasianism means for me that Hungary can be sort of an intermediary between Europe and Asia. (…) The
advantages of Eurasianism lies by leaving the independence of regions untouched while building on a continental
cooperation as opposed to the European Union’s oppression”; source: https://jobbik.hu/hireink/vona-gabor-azorosz-magyar-viszonyrol
151 One such example presented by the party was the Center for American Progress Foundation close to Charles Gati,
who provided funding to the former leftist PM Gordon Bajnai’s Homeland and Progress Association.
http://oroszhirek.hu/index.php/video/world/3083-orosz-mintara-ugynok-szervezetkent-tartana-nyilvan-akulfoldrol-tamogatott-civil-szervezeteket-a-jobbik
152 See: https://jobbik.hu/sites/default/files/cikkcsatolmany/kimondjukmegoldjuk2014_netre.pdf
153 See: The homophobia displayed by Jobbik usually concerns the ban of the LGBT pride parade in Budapest.
http://index.hu/belfold/2012/04/11/oroszorszagbol_szerez_otleteket_a_jobbik/
154 See: http://www.euractiv.com/sections/europes-east/parliament-lifts-hungarian-meps-immunity-over-russiaspy-probe-318523
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