In recent years, some politicians have increasingly portrayed non-profit organizations as „parasites on the state budget“ or, following the Russian or Hungarian example, as „foreign agents.“ More recently, the label „it’s Soros behind it“ has become synonymous with evil.
Robert Basch, the executive director of the Open Society Fund Foundation, notes, „When you say ‚it’s Soros behind it,‘ it should mean ‚bad,‘ and you don’t have to explain anything further. A label has been created that simplifies orientation in a complex world and a huge amount of information.“
How often do you hear that you are being paid by „that Soros“?
We are encountering this more and more frequently lately. However, from 2009, when I started leading the foundation, until 2015, such attacks did not occur. Now, essentially any activity of the OSF Foundation is automatically associated with Soros. There is an obvious tendency among parts of the public, the political spectrum, and journalists to say – it’s Soros behind it, which means something bad.
The Devil in Soros‘ Skin
To what extent is it true that you are paid by Soros?
Until 2012, the Czech OSF Foundation was largely funded by Soros‘ Open Society Foundations, which operates globally and was also the founder of our foundation. However, our independent board always made decisions about our activities within the framework of topics such as civil society development, education, transparency, etc.
The idea that George Soros comes and decides what will be done in which country is truly ridiculous. It is clear that these so-called critics have no idea how foundations generally operate. However, regular funding ended in 2012. Now, we must always prepare a project proposal and request support from the global network of Open Society Foundations, just like any other non-profit organization. Automatic financial support is not guaranteed at all. We only receive funding for high-quality and sustainable projects that pass a rigorous and impartial approval process by the global network of Open Society Foundations. This is exactly how it works with other donors as well.
How do you explain that Soros has become such a „devil“ for a not insignificant part of the public? Essentially, for some people, it is a downright derogatory term…
It is interesting that we observe the same model that has emerged in Russia, Hungary, or recently in Poland. Wherever a regime with authoritarian tendencies reigns, there is an obvious effort to restrict the activities of organizations like ours. Populist politicians make us foreign agents in the eyes of the public. From Czechoslovak history, we know that the first thing communists eliminated were intellectuals, independent people, academics, or scouts.
And this is a similar model – an attempt to find a public enemy and at the same time eliminate islands that tend to point out the mistakes of the regime, criticize it, and control the observance of impartial law and civil liberties. Soros is an ideal target for populists. He meets the requirement of an external enemy. Few people knew him before, so unfounded fears are easily projected onto him. And at the same time, he supports active people and organizations that are interested in public affairs, advocate democratic, human rights, and other values that are always uncomfortable for authoritarian regimes.
Do you see the same model here now?
Unfortunately, yes. Just look at how Tomio Okamura behaves, what methods he uses, how he is not afraid to lie. And how natural it is for him to attack independent voices, whether in the media or precisely in non-profit organizations. George Soros is such a simple personification of evil. When you say: It’s Soros behind it, it should mean „bad,“ and you don’t have to explain anything further. A label has been created that simplifies orientation in a complex world and a huge amount of information.
Okamura Cries Catch the Thief
Do you feel pressured into a defensive position?
I wouldn’t say that. We react to some things, while others lack logic. A typical example is the Journalism Award, which the OSF Foundation has been organizing for seven years. Although journalists from a wide range of Czech media, from Lidovek, through MF Dnes, ČT, Czech Radio, to Student Times, received the award last year, a shortcut was also created here: someone received a journalism award, so Soros pays them.
…We also read this in discussions about us, about HlídacíPes.org.
However, Soros doesn’t even know that the OSF Foundation is organizing a journalism award here. I think he has never heard of it in his life and has never deliberately given a penny to it. But the simple shortcut has already been created, OSF – journalism award – Soros, who controls and influences everything here. However, a much more general and dangerous problem is how attacks on civil society and non-profit organizations are increasing, which are labeled as financial leeches.
This rhetoric is spread by our top politicians starting with Miloš Zeman, Andrej Babiš, Tomio Okamura, and representatives of established parties. In reality, however, non-profits are feared. They are an enemy to their politics that they cannot control, so they have decided to discredit the non-profit sector in this targeted way.
Yet, politicians themselves are connected to various non-profits.
For example, the Friends of Miloš Zeman association is a non-profit organization. However, no one knows how it is funded, where its money comes from. You won’t find their annual report. We only know that they lead Miloš Zeman’s billboard campaign. That is a true political non-profit! A good example is also the well-known critic of non-profits, Václav Klaus Sr., who himself is involved in non-profits such as the Václav Klaus Institute, the Václav Klaus Foundation, but also, for example, the I. Czech Lawn – Tennis Club Prague.
Have you seen the graphic published by Tomio Okamura, who Soros allegedly pays for?
I saw it and it amused me quite a bit. Someone must have put a lot of effort into it. Although it could have been drawn more accurately, I understand that all roughly ten thousand projects that we have supported in the 25 years of operation in the Czech Republic would probably not fit into one picture. Otherwise, true things are mixed with untrue ones. The graphic connects us with institutions with which we have never collaborated in the Czech Republic (such as the Ministry of Defense, the Fund for Non-Governmental Organizations), but it is easy and catchy to add them to the cocktail as well.
It is a textbook propaganda – mix facts and lies well, play with fears of the unknown (immigrants, Islamization), add a little scandalization (we know more, they receive millions from our taxes), use strong words (fraud, deceitful, media garbage, deceiving citizens, etc.) and at the same time pretend to be the robbed, defenseless citizen. However, this post on Facebook is a perfect example of when a thief cries, catch the thief.