The Albanian version of communism is considered one of the most isolated and brutal dictatorships of the second half of the 20th century. The regime under Enver Hoxha not only placed every layer of society under strict control, but also pursued total cultural and ideological isolation—according to many, even surpassing Stalinist or Maoist systems in severity.
Our collaboration aims to ensure that all this does not fade into obscurity. Instead, through scientific research and joint efforts, we want the information to reach broader segments of society,
Rajmund Fekete, director of the Hungarian institute told Magyar Nemzet.
Communism Is Not Dead, It Just Transformed
During the event in Budapest, the Hungary's Institute for the Research of Communism signed a cooperation agreement with Celo Hoxha, head of the Albanian Institute for the Study of Communist Crimes (ISKK).
The agreement was signed on Wednesday by directors Maria Schmidt and Celo Hoxha,
said Fekete, adding that the goals include sharing research results, supporting academic training, and organizing joint exhibitions and conferences.
According to the director of the Hungarian institute, it is especially important for Central and Eastern European countries, who experienced both communist and Nazi dictatorships firsthand, to amplify their voices through cooperation.
We, who have endured both totalitarian regimes, know where we came from. More than three decades ago, we made decisions about our own future accordingly. We wanted to be free and independent. And we proved that nation is more important than social class. But this comes with a great responsibility—especially in a Europe where the Western half doesn’t know the price or meaning of freedom, doesn’t understand the true face of dictatorship, and doesn’t value its national heritage and identity,
he said.
Woke Ideology Is Same Old Oppression in New Clothing
According to Fekete, the ideals of communism have found fertile ground in the West, where today its advocates have conquered universities, intellectual circles, public opinion, and parts of the political sphere.
In part for this reason, he added, the Western world still shrugs indifferently at discussions about the crimes and suffering caused by communism.
Many are undisturbed by the atrocities of communism. As an example, he mentioned how, last October, during a European Parliament session in Strasbourg when the Hungarian EU Presidency program was to be presented, left-wing MEPs protested Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban by singing the partisan communist anthem “Bella Ciao” with raised fists. He also recalled Jean-Claude Juncker, as President of the European Commission, unveiling a statue of Karl Marx.
Danger Lurks in the Western World
Fekete points out that woke movements and gender ideology today are just like communism and Marxism once were.
What’s clearly positive, though, is that in the November 5 U.S. presidential election, voters rebelled against the liberal elite, which had unleashed this whole woke madness and attacked their traditional values,
he said. He added that the Western world now faces a level of thought control reminiscent of past totalitarian regimes. Referring to Marine Le Pen’s legal difficulties, he claimed that in the West, they don’t even bother with maintaining appearances like the show trials anymore—they simply condemn those who stand in their way.
Fekete said that in the UK, even a social media post can result in prison time.
He cited the case of Lee Dunn, who, in the summer of 2024, expressed his concern about mass immigration by posting on Facebook a few images, one depicting men resembling Arabs, waving knives toward Westminster, in front of which a white child wearing a British-flag T-shirt is crying. The caption read:
Coming to a town near you.
Dunn was arrested by the “thought police,” apologized, and deleted the “offensive” content—yet was still sentenced to eight weeks in prison.
It seems Orwell’s dystopia has become reality in the West,
Fekete remarked.
Cover image: Illustration (Photo: AFP)
