logo
Thousands join far-right rally in Budapest as anti-fascists protest

Thousands join far-right rally in Budapest as anti-fascists protest

Japan Times09-02-2025

Budapest –
Thousands of people took part in an annual WWII-linked commemoration held by far-right groups in Budapest Saturday, as anti-fascist activists gathered nearby to protest the rise of the far right around the world.
Each year, far-right groups from across Europe meet in Budapest for what they call a "Day of Honour" to mark a failed attempt by Nazi and Hungarian troops in 1945 to break out of the city during the Soviet Army's siege.
While some events have been banned, including neo-Nazi concerts — that will still take place at undisclosed locations — an annual "memorial hike" is being held.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Mongolia gets a new prime minister who pledged to address the economic demands of protesters
Mongolia gets a new prime minister who pledged to address the economic demands of protesters

Asahi Shimbun

time17 hours ago

  • Asahi Shimbun

Mongolia gets a new prime minister who pledged to address the economic demands of protesters

Then-speaker of the Mongolian Parliament, Zandanshatar Gombojav, looks on during a meeting with Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament, Laszlo Kover, in the parliament building in Budapest, Hungary, on March 6, 2024. (MTI via AP) ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia--The new prime minister of Mongolia has pledged to address the economic demands of protesters after their daily rallies led to the fall of his predecessor. Lawmakers approved former parliament speaker Zandanshatar Gombojav as prime minister by an overwhelming majority in a vote late Thursday night. His election appeared to mark the end of several weeks of political uncertainty in a still-young democracy of 3.4 million people that is sandwiched between much larger China and Russia. The new leader faces multiple challenges including high inflation, a looming government budget deficit and fears of power shortages this winter. Speaking ahead of the vote in parliament, Zandanshatar said this year's government spending needs to be reduced by about $640 million to avoid a significant revenue shortfall. 'Revision of the budget has become inevitable,' the former banker said, saying he would submit a revised budget to parliament next week. Zandanshatar, 45, studied economics at university in Russia and was vice director of one of the largest commercial banks in Mongolia. He was parliament speaker from 2020 to 2024 and was named head of the president's office after he lost his seat in an election last year. From 2014-16, he was a visiting scholar at Stanford University in California. His predecessor, Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai, resigned 10 days ago after losing a vote of confidence in parliament. The protests against Oyun-Erdene's rule were sparked by reports of lavish spending by his son. Many Mongolians feel the nation's mineral wealth has benefited politicians and their business friends rather than the general population. The poverty rate remains high in the sparsely-populated country. Zandanshatar said he would ensure that economic growth is inclusive and reached all Mongolians. He promised to launch a tax reform to reduce the burden on the middle class and increase taxes on luxury consumption and those with ultra-high incomes. He won election by a vote of 108 to 9 in the 126-member parliament. The other nine members were absent.

Social Media and Elections: Politics Today / Japan Needs to Prepare for Foreign Interference in Polls; Constitutional Reform Referendums a Likely Target
Social Media and Elections: Politics Today / Japan Needs to Prepare for Foreign Interference in Polls; Constitutional Reform Referendums a Likely Target

Yomiuri Shimbun

timea day ago

  • Yomiuri Shimbun

Social Media and Elections: Politics Today / Japan Needs to Prepare for Foreign Interference in Polls; Constitutional Reform Referendums a Likely Target

The Yomiuri Shimbun A collage of images taken at political gatherings This is the third and final installment in a series that examines how political parties understand and are dealing with the confusion caused by social media during elections. *** Loud cheers broke out among Romanian voters on the morning of May 18, when a presidential election candidate appeared at a polling station in the suburbs of Bucharest. But the focus of the attention on the day of the runoff for the country's presidential poll was not the candidate but the man standing next to him, Calin Georgescu. The venue was plunged into frenzy as excited supporters chanted 'President Georgescu!' Far-right, pro-Russian Georgescu came from nowhere to win the first round of an election in November last year, aided mostly by a flood of TikTok videos promoting his campaign. Through the short videos, Georgescu amassed support from people dissatisfied with the government. But the Romanian constitutional court annulled the election after intelligence authorities and others disclosed confidential documents revealing about 25,000 fake social media accounts with confirmed links to Georgescu's campaign and that about $380,000 (¥55 million) had been paid to more than 100 influencers involved in the propaganda activities. Russia's involvement was also suspected, leading to Georgescu being barred from running in the presidential election rerun held in May. While large-scale foreign interference in elections has not yet been confirmed in Japan, it is a growing possibility. 'Efforts to influence public opinion in Japan via the internet are being carried out. A Russian-linked news agency had been manipulating influencers and spreading posts using bots,' a former high-ranking government official said. While not providing details, the former official said that U.S. authorities informed Japan several years ago that it was a target of Russia's intervention in elections. Subsequent investigations found relevant pro-Russian activities online, and the situation was reported to the Prime Minister's Office. The threat is not limited to elections. In Britain, Russian or Iranian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum was alleged. In Japan, referendums on constitutional reform could be a target. 'If their primary goal is to divide public opinion, referendums on constitutional reform serve as the perfect target,' said Keiro Kitagami, an independent member of the House of Representatives. 'Japan has been protected from such interventions thanks to the language barrier, but now that translation systems have become so sophisticated, we need to be aware of the danger.' Constitutional amendment being freely and openly debated on both sides is desirable. It is common knowledge among political parties that the expression of opinions should be 'as free as possible with minimal restriction.' However, such lax regulations and a high possibility of intense debate on the issue leave a lot of room for foreign forces to exploit the situation. Concerns were raised at a meeting of the House of Representatives' Commission on the Constitution on April 10, where the issue of how to deal with false and misleading information on social media in the event of a national referendum was discussed. Many participants said it is important to strengthen fact-checking measures. 'We must resolutely prevent foreign forces from interfering in referendums through fake news,' said Keishi Abe of the Japan Innovation Party. At a meeting of the commission on May 22, J. F. Oberlin University Prof. Kazuhiro Taira said he expects the active involvement of the mass media in fact-checking efforts. He added that the efforts should be led by the private sector rather than public institutions. There are many other issues that need to be addressed, including measures to prevent the monetization of social media under the guise of election campaigns and placing more responsibility on platform operators. In order to safeguard the integrity of speech, the Diet has only just begun to move its heavy feet. (This series was written by Koichiro Shigematsu, Maki Sanbuichi, Takahito Higuchi and Yumiko Kurashige.)

Lawsuit Accuses Musk of Bribing Wisconsin Voters with Cash Prizes
Lawsuit Accuses Musk of Bribing Wisconsin Voters with Cash Prizes

Yomiuri Shimbun

time2 days ago

  • Yomiuri Shimbun

Lawsuit Accuses Musk of Bribing Wisconsin Voters with Cash Prizes

Joshua Lott/The Washington Post Elon Musk speaks during a town-hall-style event in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on March 30. A Wisconsin nonprofit organization focused on fighting for fair elections has filed a legal complaint alleging that billionaire Elon Musk illegally bribed voters by giving out cash prizes this year in his attempt to help conservatives take control of the swing state's Supreme Court. The complaint, provided to The Washington Post by lawyers representing the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and two Wisconsin voters, claims that Musk, his America PAC and a Musk-linked entity known as United States of America Inc. violated the state's election law in 'a brazen scheme to bribe Wisconsin citizens to vote.' The complaint stems from actions of the Tesla and SpaceX CEO ahead of the Wisconsin Supreme Court election this spring, when he handed out two $1 million checks to Wisconsin voters and when his super PAC, America PAC, paid registered voters $100 each for signing petitions and providing their contact information. State law, the complaint notes, bars offering or giving 'any amount of money over $1' to induce anyone to go to the polls, vote or vote for a particular person. The complaint, which was filed Tuesday, also claims the actions violated the state's prohibition on unauthorized lotteries. The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that the conduct broke state law and to bar Musk and the defendants from replicating such conduct in future Wisconsin elections. They are also asking the court to award damages 'to the extent supported by law.' Days before an event in Wisconsin where Musk handed out the $1 million checks, the state's attorney general, Josh Kaul, sued Musk and America PAC, arguing that the billionaire was violating a law that bars offering voters something of value in exchange for casting ballots. After a county judge declined to immediately hold a hearing and an appeals court rebuffed his request, Kaul asked the state's high court to issue a temporary restraining order barring Musk and America PAC from further promoting Musk's visit to Wisconsin and making payments conditioned on voting. The justices on the court declined to take the case and did not explain their rationale. When Kaul's lawsuit was filed, Musk and his team portrayed the payments as rewards for signing petitions and serving as spokespeople – and not as compensation for votes. At the time, Musk was an adviser to President Donald Trump and oversaw the U.S. DOGE Service, a federal cost-cutting agency. America PAC declined to comment Wednesday on the new complaint. Musk initially said that the giveaway event and prize money would be open only to those who had voted early 'in appreciation for you taking the time to vote.' After legal scholars questioned the plan, Musk deleted an initial post about the event and then said it would be open to Wisconsin registered voters who signed a petition opposing activist judges. Jeff Mandell, president and general counsel for Law Forward – a public-interest law firm representing the plaintiffs in the latest complaint, said that one of Kaul's biggest challenges was the short timeline of his request. 'We're trying to create … accountability in a more regular timeline, in a way that gives the courts the opportunity to look at this more carefully and in a more traditional procedure for them, and we fully expect that the courts are going to do so,' Mandell said. The plaintiffs in the latest complaint are 'also in a different position substantively, because we know exactly what happened and how it unfolded, and we're asking the court to say this is not acceptable,' Mandell added. Musk similarly deployed high-value giveaways in swing states during the 2024 election, saying he would hand out $1 million daily in a lottery for registered voters who signed a petition as part of his super PAC's recruitment drive. The program also sought to give $47 cash incentives for valid referrals to registered voters in swing states. Despite legal efforts to stop Musk's tactics during the 2024 presidential campaign, a Pennsylvania judge said that prosecutors failed to show it was an illegal lottery, and he allowed the giveaways to continue through Election Day. Tuesday's complaint aims to prevent Musk and his groups from taking similar actions in Wisconsin in future elections. In recent months, Musk has sent mixed signals as to whether he plans to stay involved in U.S. elections. Trump carried Wisconsin in 2024, but Musk's preferred candidate lost the state Supreme Court race. In late May, weeks before his exit from the administration as a special government employee, Musk indicated that he planned to do 'a lot less' political spending going forward after having spent massively for Trump's campaign. But he said that could change if he saw 'a reason to do political spending in the future.' Musk then left his role overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency last month with the fanfare of a personal send-off by Trump and the presentation of a ceremonial key to the Oval Office. However, in the short time since his departure, Musk's relationship with Trump and many Republicans in Congress has soured, with the tech scion suggesting at times that he may seek political revenge against lawmakers who support the president's massive legislative priorities bill. Last week, for example, Musk wrote on X that 'a new political party is needed in America to represent the 80% in the middle!' He also threatened to 'fire all politicians who betrayed the American people' by supporting the bill.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store