Wearing his trademark double shirt ensemble, Steve Bannon triumphantly declared Hungary’s recently re-elected prime minister Viktor Orban the “Trump before Trump”.
At a conference on the banks of Budapest’s River Danube, barely 18 months after the election of US President Donald Trump, the alt-right movement that powered him into office are laying the groundwork for an assault on Europe and Mr Bannon is leading the charge.
It’s not difficult to see why. A swathe of populist and far-right movements have ascended across the continent in recent years – in Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party recently took seats in parliament for the first time. Last week Italy’s Lega Nord. a regionalist party, entered government. Some even point to the UK’s Brexit vote as indicative of Europe as a fertile yard for Mr Bannon’s populist message.
“What matters is the of survival of the Judeo-Christian West,” he told a crowd filled with government delegates and officials from Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. “The West does not have to decline. This is not a law of physics. It can be reversed”.
Comparing Mr Orban to the US leader, Mr Bannon said: “He’s [Orban] got the scars to prove it. Look how viciously they came after him, for what? Building a border? Defending his country? Saving his people? Are these high-crimes and misdemeanours?”
Mr Orban has been heavily criticised for the country’s treatment of refugees crossing Europe and hardening right-wing stance in recent years.
The Budapest stopover is not Mr Bannon’s first trip to Europe since leaving the White House in August 2017. In March, he stole the show at the French Front National’s annual conference when he stood alongside its leader Marine Le Pen and let rip. “Let them call you racist,” he said. “Wear it as a badge of honour”.
“Bannon comes to Europe to sell himself as the revolutionary, but in Hungary, he’s welcomed by, not just by the far-right, but the government too,” said Peter Kreko, the director of Political Capital, a policy research institute based in Budapest.
“It’s not a movement, it’s a top-down deal to create support for the Hungarian government, there isn’t any kind of popular support. Here the alt-right is being led from above.
“Mr Orban has been successful in creating a movement around him, this is a continuation of that. It’s about making his movement sexier, catchier and more up to date”.
Andras Toth-Czifra, a fellow at the European Stability Initiative, said Mr Orban's friendships should put question marks around his place among mainstream European conservatives.
“In 2017, Orban's government financially supported the organisation of the far-right World Congress of Families in Budapest,” he said.
In the past, Mr Toth-Czifra says the Hungarian leader relied on an element of “plausible deniability,” aware of the risk of upsetting partners in European People’s Party (EPP) grouping to which his FIdesz party belongs in the European parliament.
He has done this even as figures such as Dutch anti-Muslim politician Geert Wilders and former leader of the UK’s far-right British National Party, Nick Griffin – both shunned as extremists in their home countries – were welcomed.
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Read more:
Tens of thousands of Hungarians protest against Orban landslide
Hungary's anti-migration leader secures sweeping victory
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But Mr Orban is nothing if not inconsistent. Mr. Griffin was initially welcomed to the country after losing his European parliament seat in 2014 and went so far as declaring his plans to move to Hungary full time. But he soon fell afoul of Mr Orban, and last year was declared persona non-grata and a threat to national security.
Another British far-right figure, James Dowson, was similarly ejected for providing support to vigilante groups attempting to stop refugees crossing Hungary’s borders.
This did not appear to deter Mr Bannon, who has touted launching a Hungarian language version of Breitbart, the right-wing news website site he ran before ascending to The White House. An idea he resuscitated during this speech. “Hopefully it will happen, Europe needs it”.
But in the conference hall of Castle Bazaar, a neo-Renaissance fort that was almost destroyed in World War II, Mr Bannon was not greeted with the enthusiastic applause and hoots from hipster conservatives and the disenfranchised working-class, that came to define the mass rallies of the alt-right’s path to The White House.
Instead, delegates from the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, anti-establishment academics and trusted journalists from state media dominated the guest list – with most international media denied accreditation on the grounds the event was “overbooked”.
The audience make-up showed at times, there was muted applause as he declared: “The elites are the greediest, most incompetent group that’s ever had control of a society”.
Annastiina Kallius, a PhD researcher into the far-right in Hungary, said: “Your average Hungarian doesn’t even know the term alt-right”.
She continued: “I’m not even sure how you would translate it into Hungarian”.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Specs
Power train: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and synchronous electric motor
Max power: 800hp
Max torque: 950Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Battery: 25.7kWh lithium-ion
0-100km/h: 3.4sec
0-200km/h: 11.4sec
Top speed: 312km/h
Max electric-only range: 60km (claimed)
On sale: Q3
Price: From Dh1.2m (estimate)
ABU DHABI CARD
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions; Dh90,000; 2,200m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 1,400m
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden; Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh100,000; 1,600m
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh125,000; 1,600m
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1; Dh5,000,000; 1,600m
Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'cruz and Saurabh Shukla
Verdict: Three stars
The specs: 2018 Renault Megane
Price, base / as tested Dh52,900 / Dh59,200
Engine 1.6L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission Continuously variable transmission
Power 115hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 156Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.6L / 100km
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
'Cheb Khaled'
Artist: Khaled
Label: Believe
Rating: 4/5
PFA Team of the Year: David de Gea, Kyle Walker, Jan Vertonghen, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Alonso, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguero
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
Director: James Gunn
Stars: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper
Rating: 4/5
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
EMIRATES'S REVISED A350 DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE
Edinburgh: November 4 (unchanged)
Bahrain: November 15 (from September 15); second daily service from January 1
Kuwait: November 15 (from September 16)
Mumbai: January 1 (from October 27)
Ahmedabad: January 1 (from October 27)
Colombo: January 2 (from January 1)
Muscat: March 1 (from December 1)
Lyon: March 1 (from December 1)
Bologna: March 1 (from December 1)
Source: Emirates
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Jawan
Director: Atlee
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi
Rating: 4/5
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
25 Days to Aden
Author: Michael Knights
Pages: 256
Available: January 26