Lessons from 'The Lab': 16 years of Hungarian resistance

Hungary is often called the laboratory of modern autocracy - but it has also become a laboratory for survival, innovation, and grit. Join us for a deep dive into what 16 years on the frontlines of illiberalism actually teaches you.

From the technicalities of crowdfunding under pressure and navigating legal warfare to the psychological toll of long-term opposition, our panel of Hungarian politicians, activists and journalists will share what worked, what failed, and what the rest of the world needs to know when the bad guys show up at their door.

THE Panel

benedek Jávor is a biologist, environmentalist, and green politician. A former Member of the European Parliament (2014-2019) and of the Hungarian National Assembly (2010-2014), he currently serves as Head of the Representation of Budapest to the European Union.

Peter Kreko is a political scientist, social psychologist, and a senior fellow at Ceu Ias. He leads the Budapest-based think tank Political Capital, a leading research centre on Russian influence and disinformation in Hungary and across the region. Peter is currently a senior fellow at Central European University’s Institute for Advanced Study.

Eva Cartwright is a logistics and customs expert, working as a Policy Manager at Clecat, a Brussels-based trade association. She has been part of the Tisza Party from day one, helping to build and grow Tisza communities in Brussels and in her home region in Hungary.

Balázs Kaufmann is a journalist who broke the presidential pardon scandal in 2024 that triggered a major public outcry and led to President Katalin Novák’s resignation just eight days later. He works for 444 pont hu, one of Hungary’s leading independent news outlets, which was targeted by a coordinated government smear campaign the same year, accusing it of waging “information warfare” against the state.

Flóra Hevesi is a communications strategist, activist, and former journalist dedicated to strengthening democracy through journalism and civic engagement.

*Open to everyone | Booking required | Bar open