I’m starting to think that Sir Roger Scruton, the highly regarded 73-year-old English philosopher and writer, has had some influence on the anti-Soros campaign in Hungary. Scruton’s primary interests are aesthetics and political philosophy, particularly in the “furtherance of traditionalist conservative views.” He is also a frequent visitor to Budapest and many of his articles and interviews are re-published in Hungarian.

I was surprised to learn that he is a self-taught composer who has written two operas, The Minister (1998) and Violet (2005). A follower of the Church of England he has declared “I’ve always been drawn to the Catholic Church because of its respect for tradition, for the apostolic continuity it represents and for its attempts to imbue ordinary life with sacraments.”

I don’t know how and when Sir Scruton got interested in Hungarian politics, but I do know that he was invited to give lectures by a Budapest-based conservative group called the Common Sense Society. He has also written about Hungary’s “Jewish intelligentsia” and its connection to the “extensive networks around the Soros Empire.”

Here is a quote from 2014, well before the Hungarian government’s anti-Soros campaign: “The Jewish minority that survived the Nazi occupation suffered further persecution under the communists, but nevertheless is active in making its presence known. Many of the Budapest intelligentsia are Jewish, and form part of the extensive networks around the Soros Empire. People in these networks include many who are rightly suspicious of nationalism, regard nationalism as the major cause of the tragedy of Central Europe in the 20th century, and do not distinguish nationalism from the kind of national loyalty that I have defended in this talk. Moreover, as the world knows, indigenous anti-Semitism still plays a part in Hungarian society and politics, and presents an obstacle to the emergence of a shared national loyalty among ethnic Hungarians and Jews.” (Click for Sir Scruton’s article here – for English version please scroll down)

A year earlier in a Hungarian-language interview Sir Scruton talked about “the Soros instigated conspiracy against Hungary” and said that Soros opposed Orbán’s nationalism because he is Jewish. (Read Scruton interview in Hungarian.)

Sir Scruton somehow thinks that all Jews are united against the government and share the same world view. Nothing is further from the truth. There are prominent members of the Budapest “Jewish intelligentsia” who support Mr. Orbán’s nationalism, including his party’s thinly veiled anti-Semitic agenda and the anti-Soros campaign.

Many members of Orbán’s inner circle are proud of their Jewish heritage and remain loyal to their party leader. One is Fidesz’s Budapest party chief, Mr. János Fónagy, an ex-Communist, long-time Orbán lobbyist and Holocaust survivor. He recently attacked Soros in a speech.

Another is ex-minister and close friend, Mr. Tamás Fellegi, who testified in Washington on behalf of Mr. Orbán; he claims that Hungary is fighting against anti-Semitism.

There is also ex-European Parliament member, Ms. Ágnes Hankiss, who has talked about the Holocaust experience of her family yet does not oppose Fidesz’s cult of World War II Hungarian anti-Semites and fascists. In fact, not one pro-Orbán Jewish politician raised concerns about Fidesz celebrating the work and lives of anti-Semites József Nyirő and Albert Wass.

It is worth mentioning that the families of both Mr. Fellegi and Ms. Hankiss have made billions (in forints) in various government-backed or -connected ventures. It might be unique to Hungary, or to the Hungarian character, but having Jewish roots (or practicing Judaism) and supporting Mr. Orbán’s supercharged nationalism or even anti-Semitism can go hand in hand.

György Lázár