Krisztian Simon

Krisztian Simon is a visiting lecturer at Eötvös Loránd University and a freelance journalist writing for English, German, and Hungarian publications. He holds a PhD from the Freie Universität in Berlin. In 2015, he was the deputy editor-in-chief of the Green European Journal.

Articles

26.05.2021
Down but Not Out: Central Europe’s Independent Media

Despite the shrinking space and pressure from governments, some outlets in these countries have proved resilient.

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30.11.2020
How Orbán Exploited a Pandemic

The Hungarian government has attempted to exploit the pandemic for its own ends - at great cost to the population.

EN
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11.09.2020
Nature Through the Lenses of a Fossil-Soaked Far Right

Reflections from a landmark conference at Lund University which examined the political ecology of the far right, and why progressives must be awake to this.

EN
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25.11.2019
Economic and Social Rights Are Not Egalitarian

Human rights and neoliberalism both rose to prominence in the last decades of the 20th century, but what is the relationship between the two?

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27.09.2019
The Hungarian Opposition’s Cautious Battle for Budapest

With a tough race ahead, the Hungarian opposition has reason to be cautiously optimistic that it can take back Budapest from Viktor Orbán's party.

EN
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23.04.2019
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: A Revolutionary Legacy

Today, the UDHR remains an important reference point and source of inspiration for activists across the globe.

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08.02.2019
Stopping the Domino Effect: the EU Response to Hungarian Authoritarianism

The long-overdue triggering of Article 7 is one of the EU’s last shots at saving rule of law in Hungary and across Europe.

EN
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18.01.2019
Media Capture Central European Style

In Central and Eastern Europe, vested interests are increasingly monopolising media and information to cement control and influence over opinions.

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10.01.2019
How Orbán Manipulates Markets to Suppress Hungary’s Opposition

In Viktor Orbán's self-styled illiberal democracy, power is maintained through patronage and cronyism built around public jobs and EU money.

EN
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16.11.2018
A Whole Government Behind Bars – Romania’s Fight Against Corruption

Romania has done more than any other member state to fight corruption, but the EU keeps demanding impossible measures.

EN
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26.07.2018
Dark Globalisation: the Politics of Spectacle

The politics of spectacle aims to distract from corruption, wealth inequality, and human rights violations in Putin's Russia.

EN
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14.05.2018
Labour at your Fingertips

For some, the gig economy is the new reality of work and opportunity. For others, it is a return to power relations that labour law hoped to, and perhaps still can, stamp out.

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02.05.2018
Fighting ‘Fake News’ and Data Misuse In the EU – A Missed Opportunity?

An examination of the politics behind steps to regulate online hate speech, misinformation, and data privacy in the EU.

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17.04.2018
Media in Chains: Lights, Camera, Capture

With the autonomy of the media facing new threats, censorship is a thing of the past.

EN
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04.04.2018
Election in Hungary: An Attempt to Dismantle Orbán’s System

With Hungarians taking to the polls on April 8, can progressives loosen the illiberal grip of Viktor Orbán’s government?

EN
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15.03.2018
The Kremlin’s Loyal Friends in Europe

Across Europe, complex entanglements link the Kremlin and the far right. How do these relations work and what's in it for Russia?

EN
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06.02.2018
No legitimacy without public support: human rights in Europe

With civil society organisations increasingly questioned by those in power, NGOs need political representation and popular support.

EN
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08.12.2017
“Stuck in ambivalence” – The Segregation of Roma in European Cities

Why are Roma overrepresented among marginalised and racially segregated households across Europe? A scholar of cities and segregation gives his answer.

EN
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29.08.2017
“Resistance Alone Is Not Enough” – Women’s Rights and Illiberal Democracies

Andrea Pető, a historian and professor at Hungary's Central European University, discusses the struggles of women’s rights activists and organisations in the context of illiberal governments, arguing that identifying the mechanisms which undermine or threaten to roll back social progress helps us to better understand these forces.

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12.05.2017
Investing in an Open Society – Why Autocrats Have Declared War on George Soros

Why is Hungary's President Viktor Orbán cracking down on projects funded by Soros?

EN
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01.04.2017
The Economics of Fear: How Orbán Profits from Insecurities

By playing upon fears linked to social insecurities and loss of national identity, as well as threats to national security, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán seeks to position himself as the sole protector of his nation.

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04.07.2016
Green Observatory: Refugee Crisis

The Green Observatory provides a round-up of perspectives on a current political issue from the Green European Journal’s partners around Europe. This edition focuses its lens on the so-called ‘refugee crisis’: how is this crisis perceived and does the perception at all correlate to facts? Are the new EU proposals responding to the situation and are EU member states willing to shoulder each other?

EN
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04.12.2015
The Green Way of Governing – Thoughts on Per Gahrton’s New Book

Green parties come in different shapes and sizes. They have different attitudes, as well as differing positions, and they might end up in a wide range of political coalitions when given the opportunity to participate in government. Per Gahrton’s recent book, even if not entirely comprehensive, provides a great overview of this colourful political movement, and helps newcomers understand why Greens can stand united even in the worst of times.

EN
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01.09.2015
For a Europe that unites, rather than divides people

The idea of a European Community, based on a promise of shared peace and prosperity, was dealt a strong blow this summer, in a way that we couldn’t have expected even months before.

EN
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27.08.2015
José Bové’s Adventures in Lobbyland

There are at least 15,000 lobbyists in Brussels, and some of them know the EU institutions better than the institutions know themselves, partly because they are themselves former EU officials.

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