Ever since Migszol began in 2012, we have based our work on information from the ground, on the situation at the borders, and testimonies of people from different camps. This has always provided the basis and the legitimacy to our activism.
But over the years things changed radically. Gradually the detention of practically all asylum seekers was implemented, while at the same time the space for civil society and independent media has become extremely narrow.
In the current situation, we find that we, unfortunately, cannot function the way we used to. We have no way of being in touch with detained asylum seekers, and even if we did, we would risk becoming targets of state-sponsored hate campaigns, also we would risk their personal safety during the asylum procedure.
In addition, during the post-2015 era of massive propaganda campaigns, many Hungarians don’t have any direct contact with foreigners. The images, impressions only come from the state media.
In the incredibly Fidesz-controlled media environment, it is difficult to set any other agenda. Even opposition politicians and opposition media falls into the same rhetoric. Groups like Migszol simply do not have capacity for wide counter-propaganda campaigns.
This blog post is not about Migszol quitting. It’s about sharing the reasons why we need to reconsider the ways in which we work in the future.
Post-election Hungary
Most of those Hungarians who do not support the regime agree that after this victory of Fidesz, a different kind of work is needed in Hungary. Over the last six years, we have organized and participated in several demonstrations and public actions. Stating political demands this way did not work with Hungary’s arrogant government, and we are afraid that it will just get worse in the future.
But over the years things changed radically. Gradually the detention of practically all asylum seekers was implemented, while at the same time the space for civil society and independent media has become extremely narrow.
In the current situation, we find that we, unfortunately, cannot function the way we used to. We have no way of being in touch with detained asylum seekers, and even if we did, we would risk becoming targets of state-sponsored hate campaigns, also we would risk their personal safety during the asylum procedure.
In addition, during the post-2015 era of massive propaganda campaigns, many Hungarians don’t have any direct contact with foreigners. The images, impressions only come from the state media.
In the incredibly Fidesz-controlled media environment, it is difficult to set any other agenda. Even opposition politicians and opposition media falls into the same rhetoric. Groups like Migszol simply do not have capacity for wide counter-propaganda campaigns.
This blog post is not about Migszol quitting. It’s about sharing the reasons why we need to reconsider the ways in which we work in the future.
Post-election Hungary
Most of those Hungarians who do not support the regime agree that after this victory of Fidesz, a different kind of work is needed in Hungary. Over the last six years, we have organized and participated in several demonstrations and public actions. Stating political demands this way did not work with Hungary’s arrogant government, and we are afraid that it will just get worse in the future.
Migszol meets people from the Bicske refugee camp in March 2013
The new two third victory of Fidesz with a high turnout gives the government power to do, basically, whatever they want to. Already the first days after the election showed a worrying direction, with lists of individuals as “Soros-agents” appearing on a pro-government weekly magazine and a television channel.
The spokesperson of the government, Zoltán Kovács, has said that the government is planning to pass the Stop Soros law. Passing this law would be tragic, and severely decrease critical voices in public debate.
Future of Migszol and migration-related political activism in Hungary
The government is trying to have a complete control on “what counts as political” and there is a slow but sure erosion of space for critical voices. In practice, this means that the government justifies its crackdown on people who work with migration by claiming that their work is “political”, and “political issues” should only be dealt with by parties - not individuals, groups, or NGOs.
Hungary is not the only country trying to limit civil actors’ work on migration, on the contrary: countries from Spain to Finland introduce laws that suggest that solidarity work is illegal. The difference is that in Hungary, there is no real alternative to state media and their unified opinions. Also, there has been a steady attack on basic democratic institutions over the last years.
The spokesperson of the government, Zoltán Kovács, has said that the government is planning to pass the Stop Soros law. Passing this law would be tragic, and severely decrease critical voices in public debate.
Future of Migszol and migration-related political activism in Hungary
The government is trying to have a complete control on “what counts as political” and there is a slow but sure erosion of space for critical voices. In practice, this means that the government justifies its crackdown on people who work with migration by claiming that their work is “political”, and “political issues” should only be dealt with by parties - not individuals, groups, or NGOs.
Hungary is not the only country trying to limit civil actors’ work on migration, on the contrary: countries from Spain to Finland introduce laws that suggest that solidarity work is illegal. The difference is that in Hungary, there is no real alternative to state media and their unified opinions. Also, there has been a steady attack on basic democratic institutions over the last years.
We never had any bosses or directors, and nobody has been ever working for Migszol as a paid employer. We never kept a registry of our members, and only Migszol can define who has been a member of the group, or who has not.
Regarding Migszol, in particular: as we mentioned above, in the last few years the legislation and the political environment changed a lot here, also, immigration from Hungary affects us, most of our members have moved on to other countries or have needed to take time off of activism. So now we have less capacity and limited access, but we still have at least some ideas on how to go onward. Of course, we will keep up our blog, Facebook and Twitter accounts and keep posting, even if less regularly.
Finally, we want to stress that Migszol has always been an informal, unregistered group made up entirely of volunteers. Since our group is called a migrant solidarity group, our membership was always diverse. People coming from different countries and Hungarians working together has always been the core principle.
We never had any bosses or directors, and nobody has been ever working for Migszol as a paid employer. We never kept a registry of our members, and only Migszol can define who has been a member of the group, or who has not.
This is not the end of Migszol. When there is space for activism such as we have done before, hopefully we will return with full speed.
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