This article was published online by the Magyar Nemzet on 11 November 2021.
“Don’t you think it is finally time for some quiet self-reflection?” wrote Tamás Deutsch on Monday in his open letter to the European People’s Party in connection with prosecution demanding a nine-month suspended prison sentence for Luxembourgish politician Frank Engel, ardent critic of Hungary. Engel has called Viktor Orbán the leader of a sect, voted in favor of the Sargentini report, and demanded Hungary be denied EU funds.
Tamás Deutsch, head of the Fidesz delegation to the European Parliament (EP), sent an open letter to the European People’s Party group on Monday, addressing the Luxembourg Public Prosecutor’s Office’s demand of a nine-month suspended prison sentence and fine for Frank Engel who is known for his anti-Hungarian tirades. He resigned from his position as president of the Luxembourgish Christian Social People’s Party after his fellow party members reported him on suspicion of corruption. The politician was a member of the EP until 2019; he voted in favor of the anti-Hungarian Sargentini report, and he was on the list of George Soros’ closest EP allies, now infamous in Hungary.
Magyar Nemzet had a look at the letter from founding Fidesz member Tamás Deutsch to the EPP. He writes: “For years, Frank Engel obsessively slandered Fidesz, the Hungarian government, and its prime minister, Viktor Orbán. From the start, we have said that the true aim of Frank Engel’s outrageous rants is to weaken the European right.” He continues to say that the EPP “gave credence to and supported a man in every one of his anti-Fidesz statements who defied the most basic rules of loyalty to the EPP; he got burned by his own corruption and lies along with the former socialist prime minister, Ferenc Gyurcsány, who he appeared with at a political event, giving a stamp of approval for Gyurcsány’s assorted lies.” (Engel visited a Budapest event of the Democratic Coalition party headed by Ferenc Gyurcsány in 2017 and voiced support for the Central European University).
“You have assisted Frank Engel, the most vicious enemy of the Hungarian government, in forcing left-wing arguments on the EPP and demanding the denial of EU funds” – wrote Tamás Deutsch in his letter. He also mentioned that in 2018, in connection with Sargentini report, Engel branded the Hungarian prime minister the “head of a sect” and later demanded the withdrawal of EU funds from Hungary through the Article 7 procedure.
“The truth is, Frank Engel acted as a Trojan horse for the left among the People’s Party. The purpose of Mr. Engel’s vile campaign was nothing more than to disintegrate and destroy the EPP. Ironically, while Mr. Engel was attacking Fidesz with empty accusations, he was the one who caused the most damage to both the EPP and his own party, CSV.” The letter concludes: “We left Frank Engel’s EPP. But now that we know the true nature of the anti-Fidesz attacks’ crusader – attacks which the majority of the EPP came to support eventually – don’t you think it is finally time for some quiet self-reflection?”
As it is known, Fidesz left the increasingly leftist faction this past March, later leaving the EPP umbrella party as well.
