From “Sultan” Erdogan to Orban, here is the anti-Soros “axis”.

Very different, alike, Hungarian Prime Victor Urban The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan They have one thing in common: they both see liberal financier George Soros, founder of the Open Society Foundations, as an existential enemy of their countries; However, the billionaire often cites “tyrants” as dangerous enemies of liberal democracy and open society. On the other hand, it is impossible to reconcile two worldviews as far apart as the proud conservative nationalism of the two leaders with globalization. open borders and progressive for Soros. Orban and Erdogan, the former Christian and the last Muslim, accuse the financier of provocative actions – through his charitable network and beyond – against Hungary and Turkey.

Erdogan: “Kafala is the scum of Soros”

The Turkish president’s recent statements on the Kavala case speak volumes for this ingrained animosity. As I mentioned beforebehaviorErdogan expressed very harsh words towards the ambassadors of 10 different countries who were threatened with expulsion after they launched a joint appeal for the release of the benefactor. Usman Kavala, in prison in Turkey for 1,451 days awaiting trial. We cannot afford the luxury of keeping these people in our country. It is not their role to give us unacceptable lessons. They are within the limits of their duties Erdogan, which Kavala later defined as “scum”. Soros”. On Monday, the ambassadors of the United States, Canada, France, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden asked Turkey to respect international treaties and release Kavala from pre-trial detention.

“Money from a billionaire”

LOpen . Community Institutions to reply Today, Erdogan urged the president “to stop invoking the name of George Soros in an attempt to hide the facts about the case of Osman Kavala, a businessman and philanthropist who spent four years in prison on bogus charges.” Mark Malloch Brown, President of the Open Society Foundation, said: “Abusive language from President Erdogan About George Soros, the man his government welcomed in Istanbul, is an attempt to distract from the simple fact that Osman Kavala is innocent and should be set free.”behavior confirms that the Turkish philanthropist has been imprisoned in Turkey pending trial since 2017; The accusation against him is an attempt to undermine the constitutional order due to the clashes that took place in Gezi Park in Istanbul in 2013, which, according to the prosecutor, were aimed at overthrowing the regime. What is the connection between Kavala and George Soros?

Turkish philanthropic work in the advisory board of the National Foundation of the Open Society in Turkey before its closure in 2018. This is not the first time Erdogan has accused Soros and Kavala of plotting in the shadows against his government: in 2018, the sultan announced that Osman Kavala – already in custody at the time – had been funded and assisted. by Soros, at least since 2013, when mass protests in Gezi Square bogged down the government. It is also true that the relationship between Erdogan and Soros has not always been so bad: in 2003 the two met at a “very friendly” meeting at the Davos Forum, and Erdogan asked the founder of the OSF to defend the reason for his entry. Turkey in the European Union. Two years later, the rich man was welcomed into the Turkish state with full honors.

Orban and the Others: Why Leaders Fear Funders

The 91-year-old speculator, through the Open Society Foundations, funds political parties, politicized NGOs, and non-profit organizations that favorimmigration and progressive associations with the intent of forming societies and influencing policies in countries. For its proponents, this is not only a perfectly legitimate activity, but also necessary to “export” some democracy and promote respect for human rights in places where the rule of law is threatened by authoritarian leaders; As for the leaders who oppose him, on the contrary – starting with the aforementioned Erdogan and Orban, but also Vladimir Putin and former US President Donald Trump – with his finance billionaire meddling in the internal affairs and sovereignty of their countries, while trying to destabilize and thus completely “replace” legitimate leaders. It’s not a “conspiracy” as some might say, but it’s a well-known activity that Soros himself speaks frankly about. In May 2014 an interview with CNNThe Hungarian-born financier, for example, admitted that he was responsible for creating a foundation in Kiev that helped overthrow then-pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. In a very similar way, in 2003, some of the organizations he supported gave birth to the “Rose Revolution” in Georgia.

Soros’s work in Italy

Even in Italy, the billionaire showed his presence: between 2017 and 2018, in fact, according toAn investigation published by the agency AdnkronosHis organization has pumped more than eight and a half million dollars into the coffers of those organizations whose goal is to create a more open and welcoming society. as he remembers IlGiornale.itThe activity of the Hungarian-born financier with philanthropic ambitions in Italy, inspired by the philosopher Karl Popper, is the history of the past 30 years. friend of Romano ProdiSoros became famous in our country during the so-called “Black Wednesday” of September 16, 1992, when the Italian lira and the British pound were forced out of the European Monetary System (EMS) after financial speculations he made through the Quantum Fund. On that day, “the shark” Finance Short selling the lira by buying dollars, forcing the Bank of Italy to sell $48 billion in reserves to prop up the exchange rate and making our currency fall 30%.