Hungary’s Jewish federation said that billboards depicting George Soros laughing “recall Hungary’s dark periods.” Image by hungarianspectrum.org

Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party, preparing for elections next April, promised on Thursday to highlight what it called a plan by billionaire financier George Soros to bring millions of migrants into Europe.

Fidesz asked Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government to carry out a “national consultation” about Brussels’ plans to distribute asylum-seekers in the EU, a week after the EU’s top court ruled against complainants Hungary and Slovakia.

Previous such consultations have taken the form of sending out questionnaires to millions of voters, setting out the government’s right-wing nationalist position and asking people if they agree.

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Soros, a Hungarian-born Jew who has spent a large part of his fortune funding pro-democracy and human rights groups, has been targeted by Orban’s government repeatedly. His spokesman has described the government’s portrayal of his views on immigration as “fantasy.”

Orban has been one of the loudest opponents of mandatory migrant resettlement quotas proposed by the EU, arguing this would undermine its sovereignty and social fabric. His stance has gone down well with voters, and Fidesz is firmly ahead in opinion polls.

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