Two weeks ago, Prime Ministerial chief-of-staff János Lázár made waves in Parliament by standing up and gravely accusing opposition parties of being “financed by Americans.” Whether Lázár’s charge is true or not we don’t know, but what is certain is that the US Government is financing what may be an even bolder challenge to right-wing rule in Hungary.
From the website of the embassy-sponsored “American Corner,” we see that the USG is sponsoring something called a “GROW Camp” for Hungarian high school girls out in the countryside.
Would you like to become a leader in your community? Do you have big plans for the future? Are you interested in international relations?
Sharpen your communication and leadership skills and build your confidence in the GROW Camp where you can learn from American diplomats, university staff and Hungarian professionals and alumni….
The program will consist of workshops and presentations in the following topics: human rights and democracy, leadership, media, civil society, women studies, etc.
Perhaps to make the whole thing seem less like a blatant attempt at creating a liberal fifth column, the invitation also mentions activities including “horse riding, frisbee, collage art, apple pie baking, etc.” Still, just in case there is any confusion, the logo for the thing includes a raised fist, an international symbol of defiance against oppressive rule.
The only other things we’d add are that the camp is limited to 20 girls, and that if Jobbik gets wind of this they will gain at least twice as many new followers, and they will be training them with weapons.
