- Leading climate activist released from Vietnam jail
- Ethiopians struggle with bitter pill of currency reform
- Sri Lanka votes in first poll since economic collapse
- Feminist author warns of abortion disaster if Trump wins US election
- US city of Flint still reeling from water crisis, 10 years on
- Arsenal's mean defence faces acid test to shut out Man City again
- Late surge lifts Thailand's Jeeno to LPGA Queen City lead
- DeChambeau says PGA's Ryder Cup decision 'just the start'
- Alcaraz defeated on Laver Cup debut
- Postecoglou embraces 'struggle' to make Spurs a success
- Nice hand 'ashamed' Saint-Etienne 8-0 Ligue 1 mauling
- Boeing CEO says ending strike 'a top priority'
- Harris slams Trump for hypocrisy on abortion as US starts voting
- Academy to host first overseas ceremony to honor young filmmakers
- No doctor necessary: US okays nasal spray flu vaccine for self-use
- Former delivery man Baldwin leads star names at PGA Championship
- Trump shooting: Secret Service admits complacency
- Can an ambitious Milei make Argentina an AI giant?
- Haiti, its suffering growing, in 'race against time': UN expert
- Ibrahim Aqil, the Hezbollah elite unit commander wanted by the US
- Chinese forward Cui signs NBA contract with Brooklyn Nets
- US Fed dissenter calls for 'measured' pace of rate cuts
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload as Kompany demands cap on games
- Norway limits wild salmon fishing as stocks hit new lows
- Top Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
- Rotterdam fatal knife attacker suspected of 'terrorist motive'
- First early votes cast in knife-edge US presidential election
- Top-ranked Swiatek out of Beijing due to 'personal matters'
- Hard-right Reform UK looks to the future after vote success
- Embiid agrees to NBA contract extension with 76ers
- Joshua aims to complete road to redemption in Dubois bout
- World champion Bagnaia sets pace with lap record at Misano
- Biden says 'working' to get people back to homes on Israel-Lebanon border
- Pope criticises Argentina's crackdown on protesters
- Court limits screenings of videos in France mass rape case
- Gurbaz century takes Afghanistan to 311-4 in 2nd ODI
- Central banks face 'difficult balancing act': IMF chief
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload fears
- Paris Olympics sports equipment moves to new homes
- 'Happy' Kinghorn relishing life at Toulouse
- Norris sets Singapore pace as Verstappen only 15th
- Germany to bid to host women's Euro 2029
- Portugal brings deadly forest fires under control
- Postecoglou defends Solanke after slow start to Spurs career
- US nuclear plant Three Mile Island to reopen to power Microsoft
- Arteta urges Arsenal to take next step in Man City showdown
- Stock markets fall after Fed-fuelled rally
- Poland charges Russian over attack on Navalny ally: prosecutors
- Man City have rest 'advantage' in Arsenal showdown: Guardiola
- Maresca has 'no doubt' in Jackson as Chelsea's number nine
Hungarian govt, media set sights on Soros son
After years of demonising billionaire investor George Soros as a sinister liberal bogeyman, the Hungarian government and its allied media are taking aim at a fresh target -- his son Alexander.
Monday's announcement that the elder Soros will hand over control of his philanthropic empire to 37-year-old Alexander, who goes by the name of Alex, prompted an object lesson in the workings of media loyal to nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The 92-year-old Soros has become a bete noire of the international far right because of the activities of his Open Society Foundations (OSF).
In Hungary, the government accuses him of wanting to "flood Europe" with migrants because of the OSF's support for refugee rights advocates.
Critics of Budapest say it has used anti-Semitic tropes in its virulent attacks on Soros, who is Jewish, depicting him as a shadowy and manipulative figure. The government denies these claims.
"The government has made George Soros a kind of axiomatic enemy" blamed for everything from high inflation to Hungary's isolation in foreign policy, according to Peter Kreko, executive director of the Political Capital think tank, which lists the OSF among its donors and partners.
Orban was one of the first to comment on Monday's news, tweeting a scene from one of the "Godfather" films showing the crime lord protagonist kissing his son, with the caption: "Soros 2.0".
In his weekly interview with state radio on Friday, Orban went as far as to blame Alex Soros for the deal reached by European Union interior ministers earlier this month on refugee resettlement within the bloc.
- 'Soros-boy's propaganda' -
The EU deal was reached because "Soros handed over the leadership of his empire to his son, who dictates an even tougher pace than he does", Orban said, claiming that both George and Alex Soros "are preparing to incite the migrants".
The wider reaction showed the range and methods of the pro-government media in a landscape where independent outlets have been marginalised.
For example Hirado, a programme on the main public broadcaster, quoted coverage from the pro-government private sector Origo website.
Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has become a prominent part of official narratives in recent years and Origo used pictures of Alex with a man it called his "life partner" to make insinuations about his sexuality, adding: "This is apparently part of the Soros boy's LGBTQ propaganda."
"The pictures show them demonstrating their physical and emotional togetherness in sometimes provocative ways. They often hug and hold hands," Origo claimed.
The latest allegations echo a previous instance of disinformation in 2018 in which pro-government outlets claimed Alex Soros was spotted at Budapest Pride, while using photos of a different person.
Contrary to these claims, he is not known for commenting on his private life.
After AFP approached the Open Society Foundations for comment, they issued a statement.
"Alex is a proud supporter of human rights, democracy, and humane and orderly immigration policy...," said Laura Silber, a spokesperson for the Open Society Foundations.
"Demonising those you disagree with is not an effective way to move a nation forward."
- 'Rhetorical house of cards' -
Think tanks friendly to Orban's ruling Fidesz party are also frequently on hand to amplify its talking points.
In comments to a pro-government website, Tamas Fritz from the Alapjogokert Kozpont institute repeated the insinuations about the younger Soros's private life and warned he would be "more radical" than his father on "the question of a world government, mandatory vaccination, or abortion".
Away from the traditional outlets on which many Hungarians rely for their news, the "Megafon" collective of pro-government writers and influencers are active on social media.
The group's funding is unclear but, along with affiliated sites, Megafon spends millions of euros on political advertisements on platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.
Megafon member Daniel Deak alleged the younger Soros wanted to "break our homeland", warning of the OSF's "rejuvenated strength".
However, Kreko pointed out that the coverage in pro-government media didn't mention "that Alexander Soros has also met regularly with right-wing politicians" such as former Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz or Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
Nor is the messaging likely to change in the near future.
"The rhetorical house of cards built by the government is built on George Soros. Without him it would collapse. So it was to be expected that the rhetoric would remain even if Alex Soros came to the fore," Kreko said.
G.Teles--PC