In today's world, where truth is censored, patriotism is mocked, and sovereignty is treated like a dirty word, using common sense has become a revolutionary act of sorts. Fortunately, there's a place where common sense is not only still alive but thriving. That place is my country, Hungary.
At the end of May, it became crystal clear to the entire conservative world that Hungary is now the headquarters of the anti-globalist resistance.
At this year's CPAC Hungary, we didn't just host another conference; we made history. More than 4,000 attendees, 100 speakers, and representatives from 30 nations and six continents gathered in Budapest for one purpose: to celebrate the dawn of the age of patriots, to say "no" to globalism and "yes" to God, Homeland, and Family.
This is not a European issue. This is not an American issue. This is a civilizational issue.
The global Left of woke corporations, radical NGOs, the Soros empire, and its bureaucratic enablers in Brussels and Washington has launched an all-out assault on national sovereignty, biological reality (a man is a man and a woman is a woman), and our Judeo-Christian values. They don't want borders. They don't want law and order. And they certainly don't like strong, proud nations like Hungary charting an independent course. But let us be clear: we do not want war. We want peace — peace rooted in truth, tradition, and national self-determination.
But the world is waking up. And the success of CPAC Hungary proves it.
When we first launched CPAC in Budapest three years ago, many in the West mocked us. "What can Hungary offer to the global conservative movement?" they sneered. Today, no one is laughing as leaders from Spain to South Africa, from Latin America to Israel, and from the United States to South Korea have traveled thousands of miles to be here, not to lecture, but to listen, to collaborate, and to build partnerships.
This year's theme was the Age of Patriots. And for good reason. Donald Trump's decisive triumph last year energized the conservative movement across the entire Western world. While the enemies of freedom are well-funded, well-organized, and deeply entrenched, they lack one thing: the truth. It is the patriots across the West who have the truth on their side.
Among the many voices at CPAC Hungary were Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, Yair Netanyahu, U.S. Congressman Abe Hamadeh, and thought leaders like Ben Shapiro and Dave Rubin.
The founders of the Patriots for Europe (PfE) movement were present, including Herbert Kickl and Andrej Babiš alongside Viktor Orbán, all of whom helped lay the foundation of this movement. We were proud to host them and acknowledge their key role.
Alongside Members of the European Parliament and other international guests, they stood united not by nationality, but by shared convictions.
We believe in borders, not bureaucracies. We believe in parents, not pronouns. We believe in freedom over fear and in tradition over tyranny.
And make no mistake, Hungary, a country of only 9.5 million people, is leading by example, and we will continue to do so.
We have said no to mass illegal migration. We have said no to gender ideology in our schools. We have declined to accept funding from USAID and George Soros, as well as his networks of influence. More than two million Hungarians have said no to war. And we have said yes to families, yes to faith, and yes to national identity.
That is why Hungary is attacked so relentlessly by the global press. Not because we are failing, but because we are succeeding. Hungary shows the world what it looks like when a nation dares to put its people first.
CPAC Hungary is more than a conference. It is the beating heart of a global movement of patriots. And that movement is no longer confined to the margins. It has become the majority in the USA and has started winning elections in Europe. People are rejecting extremes—rejecting ideologies that divide and weaken. They want leadership that protects, unites, and listens to them.
In the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and beyond, everyday citizens are rising. They are tired of green utopianism, tired of uncontrolled immigration eroding their communities, and tired of unelected elites stealing elections and deciding how their children should be raised.
The age of patriots offers them hope. Hungary provides them with an example. And CPAC Hungary offers them a home!
We Hungarians know what it's like to fight for freedom. In 1956, we stood alone against the Soviet tanks. Today, we stand against a different kind of empire, one cloaked in NGOs, funded by Soros and Brussels (now that USAID has been dismantled), and enforced by anonymous technocrats. But the fight is the same: sovereignty versus subjugation.
The battle lines have been drawn. And CPAC Hungary proves we are not retreating. We are advancing and doubling down on our beliefs.
To our friends across the Atlantic and around the world: you are not alone. You are not isolated. You are part of a growing global community of individuals who believe in God, Homeland, and Family. A new age is emerging, one of sanity, sovereignty, and strength—the age of patriots.
We don't agree on everything. But we agree on what matters.
We agree that children should not be indoctrinated with woke ideologies. That nations should not be dissolved. That faith is not oppression. That history must be preserved, not rewritten. That peace is better than war.
This is the coalition of common sense. And it is growing stronger every single day.
As the Director-General of the Center for Fundamental Rights and Chairman of CPAC Hungary, I am proud that our small but brave nation has become a lighthouse for those navigating the storm. We welcome all who are ready to fight for civilization. The time for silence is over. The time for action is now.
Together, we will defeat the globalists, not with violence, but with vision and common-sense values. Not with censorship, but with courage. Not with conformity, but with conviction.
And as the great President Ronald Reagan once said, "We win, they lose." He is correct, we will prevail, they will lose.
Dr. Miklós Szánthó is a lawyer and political analyst. Since founding the Centre for Fundamental Rights' legal analysis and research institute in 2013, he has served as its director. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Central European Press and Media Foundation since 2018 and is the chief organiser of CPAC Hungary.
