In the tiny village of Őcsény, locals turned to intimidation to prevent an inn keeper from hosting a few refugees for a couple of days as a charity gesture. The people from the village have never met any refugees, they only know about them through the media.

Due to the propaganda campaign that the Orbán government has been running for two years, people believe that refugees rape women and children, rob their houses and kill people. In a heated village hall meeting, locals threatened the owner of the motel and the refugees. The locals’ accusations against refugees resonate with the state-run propaganda campaign: George Soros is responsible for the refugees wave in Europe, and all migrants are terrorists.

Such was the panic that the mayor was forced to resign. He had been the village leader for 11 years and had brought investment and prosperity to the community. The once peaceful village has become a place of conflict and fear.

The refugees who would have stayed at the motel were women and children with asylum status issued by the Hungarian authorities. After the incident, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán defended the illegal actions of the locals.