Hungary in the Crosshairs of Disruptors

One of the experiences of the year 2024 is that the new left-wing uses the same disruptive tactics in street politics as the opposition has done in the past decade. And until the election of 2026, we can be sure that we will witness several attempts aiming to trigger a “color revolution” in Hungary, which may end with an anti-government coup.

The revolutionary recipe contains simple methods, so simple that even the Hungarian opposition seems capable of applying them. Firstly, foreign-funded civil organizations amplify existing societal discontent, possibly creating social tensions through various illegal means. Secret services may also assist in creating tensions, making it difficult to defend against. After the success of creating turmoil, what usually follows is peaceful demonstrations involving mostly students, which quickly turn into more aggressive movements demanding the government’s overthrow. An important element in escalating tension is the self-proclaimed, supposedly independent media outlets, which are actually connected to opposition parties, business circles, or foreign financiers. These media outlets uncritically convey the messages of the “revolutionaries” to the domestic and international public.

A large part of Western governments always stand behind the protesters.

However, experimenting with revolution is not new; following the 2018 parliamentary elections, tens of thousands of disorderly protests were organized by murky “civilians”. After consecutive electoral defeats, the opposition parties and their supporting groups concluded that they cannot reach the people, hence the only way to come to power in Hungary is by breaking the society and toppling the government through a so-called “soft coup”. During the 2018 “hot autumn”, the opposition tried to create tension in society through parliamentary obstructions, street riots, and occupation of public media buildings. The events bore a striking resemblance to the events following the Serbian elections. The participants seemed to follow a script. Scripted revolutions?

If one wonders why organizing and funding protests in various parts of the world is worth the effort, the answer is simple: power. On one hand, the era of military coups and externally imposed violent regime changes is fading. Revolution is much cheaper and more effective than maintaining tanks and landing troops. With a well-structured “color revolution”, a government desired by the sponsor is established in the country. The instability of a country or an entire region can also be a goal in itself. For speculators, a country sinking into chaos operates like a gold mine; a crisis in any country affects the world market prices of raw materials.

At this point, the name of Serbian political “mover” Srđa Popović must be mentioned. Nevertheless, he and his organization CANVAS (an English word meaning: canvas) have played a leading role in almost every CIA-supported (and directed) “color revolution” since he led the ousting of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic in 2000; latest estimates suggest he has participated in 50 such – successful or unsuccessful – attempts. Now, he has turned his attention to Hungary and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Professional “regime change specialist” Srđa Popović arrived in Budapest on September 8, 2017, to join Gulyás Márton and Orbán’s opposition in the so-called Agora by the Parliament.

Popović first gained international attention as the founder of the politically active student organization in Belgrade, Otpor! (a Serbian word meaning: resistance). He established Otpor! in October 1998, initially to address grievances of Belgrade University students. However, his and Otpor!’s aims quickly changed. He and other Otpor! founders received training from the American regime change specialist Gene Sharp (founder of the Albert Einstein Institution in Massachusetts) and the USA government’s “soft coup” experts, including the Belgrade U.S. Ambassador Richard Miles and other trained intelligence officers, election specialists included.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), often referred to as a cover for the CIA, channeled millions of dollars to Otpor! through market players and NGOs supported by the U.S. government, such as the National Endowment for Democracy, the National Democratic Institute, and the International Republican Institute. George Soros’ Open Society Institute also financially supported Otpor! in ousting Milosevic. There has not yet been a regime change or “color revolution” found that was not supported by the U.S. leadership and the CIA and not linked to some “democracy-building” Soros organization, all in line with Washington’s interests. According to CANVAS, more than 50 countries have already trained “democracy activists”, including Ukraine, Georgia, Zimbabwe, Myanmar, Eritrea, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Tunisia, Egypt, and Syria. They participated in starting the failed “color revolution” against Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and organizing the unsuccessful Iranian “green revolution” in 2009 from the opposition side. These countries either do not align with U.S.-dictated foreign affairs or possess crucial resources like oil or gas.

Canvas and Popović himself show a continuous interest in Hungary, however, previous attempts have failed so far. But we have good reasons to believe that the parties of cooperation will resort to increasingly dangerous methods as the 2026 election approaches.