EVICTED

George Soros-Founded University Kicked Out of Hungary

Far-right government’s move is the first time a college has been forced out of an EU nation.

Central European University, a college founded by the liberal financier George Soros, has been kicked out Hungary, its home country, the university said Monday. The government—led by far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban—refused to acknowledge an agreement that would enable the school to admit new students in Hungary, forcing them to move to Vienna. The ousting marks the first time a university has been forced out of a European Union nation. The university was founded a quarter-century ago after communism’s collapse in Central and Eastern Europe, and, despite its consideration as one of the world’s best graduate schools, has come under repeated attack by Orban, whose nationalist philosophy conflicts with the Hungarian-American Soros’ liberalism. “Arbitrary eviction of a reputable university is a flagrant violation of academic freedom,” the university said in response to the move. “It is a dark day for Europe and a dark day for Hungary.”