Takeaways from the Athens Democracy Forum

Written by Iliana Magra, this article, published on Ekathimerini, summarizes the takeaway from the 2023 Athens Democracy Forum, mentioning Cynthia and RepresentWomen by name. Read an excerpt below.

Panel: Can’t We All Just Get Along?

This was the question put to the panel moderated on Thursday night by the NYT’s Paris bureau chief, Roger Cohen, and comprising Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai, Hungarian MP and political director for the prime minister Balazs Orban, and Cynthia Richie Terrell, founder and executive director of the RepresentWomen organization.

Cohen began by asking Gitai why peace between Israel and Palestine has not been achieved. “I think it should be possible. Israel is occupying Palestine and we have to recognize it,” he said. “Hungary serves as a model of what we should not do – block immigrants, marginalize LGBT people, fetishizing old fascists as national heroes,” added the influential filmmaker to loud applause from the audience.

Orban – who is no relation to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban – hastened to defend his country, saying that it is trying to protect its cultural identity.

“So you want to keep Hungarian blood pure?” asked Cohen. “Look at the US, culture can be enriched,” the moderator added. “It’s about preserving our cultural heritage,” Orban responded.

Read the full article here.

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