Ryszard Legutko was honored with the prestigious János Hunyadi Award, presented by the Hungarian Foundation for Civic Hungary. Legutko, who is also a professor of philosophy at Jagiellonian University in Kraków and, since 2014, co-chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group in the European Parliament, was honored for his many years of work to preserve Europe’s fundamental cultural traditions and the moral principles of Christian culture, which often run counter to mainstream European politics.
The award was presented by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who traveled to Brussels for the occasion the day before the upcoming Council meeting. The prime minister emphasized: “Professor Legutko was one of the first conservative thinkers to recognize that liberalism operates on a similar principle to communism. And he did not keep this insight to himself; he created forums for discussion, from which Fidesz initially drew inspiration.”
“The fact that I can stand here today as the Prime Minister of Hungary, representing—in addition to my government—a political organization, as well as a party that was founded in the late 1980s and fought against the communists—and did so effectively— stems intellectually from the fact that we managed to understand the secret of the Poles; we managed to grasp the logic of resistance, the logic of organization, the unity of philosophy and action, of thought and deed—which Professor Legutko best symbolizes for all of us,” said the prime minister.
Viktor Orbán emphasized that although in the 1990s only the brave spoke out about the autocratic tendencies inherent in liberalism, conservative forces now dominate in Europe. Viktor Orbán emphasized: “Sovereignists once consigned the communists to the dustbin of history, and they will do the same with liberalism.”
Upon receiving the award, Legutko said: “I was given this award for defending European values and freedom. This phrasing implies that European values and freedom are under threat today and require defense. This assumption is correct. Yes, European values and freedom are under threat today and do indeed require defense. At the same time—and this is something of a paradox—few other words are on everyone’s lips so often today and seem to be held in such high esteem as never before in our history. How is it possible that we live in a world where words such as “Europe” and “European” are the highest expression of praise, yet at the same time anyone with even a basic understanding can see that they are becoming increasingly devoid of meaning?
This has further consequences. The EU claims that by representing Europe, it also represents European values, such as democracy and freedom. This implies that whatever the EU does, it is upholding democracy and freedom, and that anyone who opposes it in this regard is working to restrict democracy and freedom. This resembles an argument I remember from my youth during the communist regime. The communists said back then: since communism is for the good of the people, anyone who opposes it is against the good of the people.
The flaw in this argument is obvious: whether we have democracy and freedom or not does not depend on who is in power, but on whether certain objective criteria are met, regardless of who holds what power. This is an authentic part of European culture—unfortunately not the only one—that the EU has rejected.
As for freedom, the situation in Europe—and indeed throughout the Western world—has deteriorated dramatically over the past few decades, starting with freedom of speech. Language has been subjected to political and ideological oversight, reinforced by legal sanctions against those who dare to object. The tentacles of control reach far beyond words and touch virtually every sphere of public and private life."
The János Hunyadi International Prize has been awarded since 2023 by the Hungarian Civic Foundation in honor of the Hungarian hero, magnate, voivode of Transylvania, and commander of the Magyar armies, who in 1456 routed the Turkish forces at the Battle of Belgrade, changing the fate not only of Hungary but also of much of Europe. The Hungarians have drawn on the figure of this famous historical hero to promote values such as freedom, sovereignty, independence, and equality among nations, while also reminding people of the importance of the Christian tradition as the spiritual foundation of Europe. The János Hunyadi Award is presented to outstanding individuals who have the courage to profess and fight for these values in the 21st century.
The full text of the speech is attached.
