“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Martin Niemöller
Pastor Martin Niemöller, who was imprisoned in a concentration camp by the Nazis in Germany in 1938, points towards exactly those moments when dissent is gradually silenced until it becomes impossible. Of course, the circumstances in 1938 were considerably different to what we witness in today’s Hungary. Yet, there is an important lesson to be learned that applies equally well to the recent closure of the most widely circulated independent newspaper Nepszabadság. This is a blogpost on why it is important not to stay silent on each of the singular attempts by the Hungarian government to close down, threaten and marginalize all dissenting voices in Hungary. We do not want to go into all of the details of the closure here, since they have been widely reported on (you can read those here and here) but give just a brief overview of what happened, before arguing why raising one’s voice in solidarity with Nepsabadság is important for civil society in Hungary at large.
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Martin Niemöller
Pastor Martin Niemöller, who was imprisoned in a concentration camp by the Nazis in Germany in 1938, points towards exactly those moments when dissent is gradually silenced until it becomes impossible. Of course, the circumstances in 1938 were considerably different to what we witness in today’s Hungary. Yet, there is an important lesson to be learned that applies equally well to the recent closure of the most widely circulated independent newspaper Nepszabadság. This is a blogpost on why it is important not to stay silent on each of the singular attempts by the Hungarian government to close down, threaten and marginalize all dissenting voices in Hungary. We do not want to go into all of the details of the closure here, since they have been widely reported on (you can read those here and here) but give just a brief overview of what happened, before arguing why raising one’s voice in solidarity with Nepsabadság is important for civil society in Hungary at large.
On Saturday morning on October 8th, the employees of the biggest independent newspaper in Hungary, Nepszabadság, were no longer able to access their workspace. Their servers were shut down and they did no longer have access to their emails. It was then that they learned of the decision by the owner of the paper Mediaworks to sell the paper in a package with numerous regional newspapers, a sports magazine and tabloid newspapers while closing Nepszabadsag down. Officially, the reason for shutting down the paper was economic. The paper was no longer profitable, as a statement released on the paper’s webpage nol.hu disclosed. In fact, the announcement declared, that the paper had made substantial losses over years and had lost up to 70% of its readership since 2007. According to the owners, Nepszabadsag is in need of a new “business model” that is “in line with the current trends in the industry”. Such justification is a mockery not only of the journalists and their work but to anyone vaguely familiar with the situation of the printed press in Hungary, since every existing daily newspaper could be closed on the same grounds. It was not the business model as such that was the reason for the closure. What the paper was not in line with was rather the opinion of the government, even though it remains unclear why Orban’s foot soldiers decided on such a quick closure and not on a more silent and invisible strategy, as for example buying the paper and letting go of its journalists step-by-step. Whether it was the stories on Orban’s Minister of the Minister’s Cabinet Office using helicopters for private trips or other stories that were disclosed by the paper that triggered the panicked closure remains unclear. What remains clear, though, is that the reasons for shutting down the paper are political and not economic.
Equally to the importance of the reasons for why the paper was closed down will now be the reaction to the closure. It does not simply affect the employees and readers of the paper but all those with the interest of a free Hungary in which dissent remains possible.
The closure of Nepszabadság affects the civil society in general and thus Migszol just as much as all the other groups, NGO’s, oppositional parties and dissenting individuals because it is not a singular event but stands for a general strategy of the Hungarian government to shut down and silence oppositional voices. It represents a cornerstone for building what Orbán has called an “illiberal democracy”. The thought “who cares, it was not us who was targeted” is an illusion. Fading resistance and silence towards the closure of Nepszabadság will be read by the government as a sign that states “You face no consequences for your oppressing politics!”. To give the government such an impression would lead us straight into the dynamic that was described by Niemöller in his quote - “Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.” It is thus essential to treat the closure of Nepszabadság not as an unfortunate singular event (which in fact it is not. See only the media laws of 2011), but as part of a more general blow to the freedom to dissent in Hungary all together.
Surely, the closure is a loss not just for quality journalism but for anyone who wants to read and learn more and is unsatisfied with the mindless flattering of the Orbán government. Surely, it means a blow to the freedom of the media in Hungary. But this is not all. The closure of the paper is not only important with regards to democratic principles - the principles that hold that politics is made in discussions amongst divergent opinions. It is important because it signals the bluntness with which Orban is ready to suppress all sort of dissent. The Orban government is testing the waters. It is waiting on how the civil society will react and how far it can go. So far, it seems that resistance against the closure of Nepszabadság has cooled down already a few weeks after it was closed. Yet, we should not be silent. We should raise our voices against those that aim to limit media freedom. We should raise our voices against those that want to silence dissent. We should learn from Niemöller - to speak out, before it is our turn!
The closure of Nepszabadság affects the civil society in general and thus Migszol just as much as all the other groups, NGO’s, oppositional parties and dissenting individuals because it is not a singular event but stands for a general strategy of the Hungarian government to shut down and silence oppositional voices. It represents a cornerstone for building what Orbán has called an “illiberal democracy”. The thought “who cares, it was not us who was targeted” is an illusion. Fading resistance and silence towards the closure of Nepszabadság will be read by the government as a sign that states “You face no consequences for your oppressing politics!”. To give the government such an impression would lead us straight into the dynamic that was described by Niemöller in his quote - “Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.” It is thus essential to treat the closure of Nepszabadság not as an unfortunate singular event (which in fact it is not. See only the media laws of 2011), but as part of a more general blow to the freedom to dissent in Hungary all together.
Surely, the closure is a loss not just for quality journalism but for anyone who wants to read and learn more and is unsatisfied with the mindless flattering of the Orbán government. Surely, it means a blow to the freedom of the media in Hungary. But this is not all. The closure of the paper is not only important with regards to democratic principles - the principles that hold that politics is made in discussions amongst divergent opinions. It is important because it signals the bluntness with which Orban is ready to suppress all sort of dissent. The Orban government is testing the waters. It is waiting on how the civil society will react and how far it can go. So far, it seems that resistance against the closure of Nepszabadság has cooled down already a few weeks after it was closed. Yet, we should not be silent. We should raise our voices against those that aim to limit media freedom. We should raise our voices against those that want to silence dissent. We should learn from Niemöller - to speak out, before it is our turn!
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