by WorldTribune Staff, August 30, 2018
Central European University (CEU) in Hungary, founded by leftist billionaire George Soros, has suspended its programs for registered refugees and asylum seekers.
In a statement published on its website on Aug. 28, CEU said it took action in response to legislation passed by the administration of Prime Minister Viktor Orban which includes a provision for a 25 percent levy on funds received from abroad by organizations deemed to be supporting what the government terms “illegal migration.”
The legislation, known as the “Stop Soros” bill, went into effect on Aug. 24. It was a key factor in Orban’s Fidesz–KDNP party winning April’s parliamentary elections in a landslide which gave the prime minister’s party a supermajority.
The law defines support for illegal migration as including conducting media campaigns, “organizing education,” building networks, and “participating in propaganda activities that present immigration in a favorable light.”
Breitbart News noted: “This is the second blow to the CEU’s attempts at spreading its progressive agenda in the traditional, conservative nation this month after the Hungarian government announced in early August that it would discontinue programs in gender studies, determining the courses were based on ‘ideology rather than science.’ ”
The university said in its statement that “CEU’s action follows advice from our tax advisors in respect of potential liability for a 25% levy on our immigration-related program. We are suspending these programs while we await clarification of our tax and legal situation.”
CEU also suspended its Open Learning Initiative (OLIve) and the administration of its EU-funded Marie Curie Research Grant on migration policy in Central and Southern Europe.
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